


#Fictober 2018 Collection

by smiley_seulgi



Category: BLACKPINK (Band), LOONA (Korea Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band), TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/F, Fluff, One Shot Collection, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-07-25 16:56:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16201745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smiley_seulgi/pseuds/smiley_seulgi
Summary: A one shot collection based on Happy Fictober! I started on October 2, which is why there is no Day 1. :)Hope you guys enjoy! ToC can be found below!





	1. Day II: Shooting Star - Seulrene

**Author's Note:**

> #  Table of Contents 
> 
> Day II: Shooting Star - Seulrene
> 
> Day III: Morning - Wenjoy 
> 
> Day IV: Reincarnation - Jensoo
> 
> Day V: Spell - Chaelisa
> 
> Day VI: Dog Park - Joyri
> 
> Day VII: Kittens - Saida
> 
> Day VIII: First Meeting - Chuuves
> 
> Day IX: Wedding - Lipsoul
> 
> Day X: Coffee Shop - Viseul
> 
> ##  Coming Soon 
> 
> Day XI: Superheroes - 2jin
> 
> Day XII: Flowers - Hyewon

 

“Hey, you wanna hear something crazy I just thought up of?” Seulgi murmured, turning her head towards Irene. Her voice, though soft and coaxing, stopped the steady sound of the cricket chorus chirping around them. 

For a moment, it was just the two of them there with their steady, slow breathing and the faint whistle of the wind rustling between the leaves. There was no homework to turn in at midnight, no lectures to go over, no exams to study for. The hustle and bustle of the city was far from them, miles away in the distance. 

Here, there was only the peace and quiet of the wilderness and two young college girls in love, each knowing it to be so without even having said it yet. But that was of no matter. Irene and Seulgi could feel it all the same and knew it was theirs. Unspoken, but  _ theirs _ .

A second or two passed and the cricket chorus started up its racket again. Irene gazed up at the pitch black of the sky and the twinkling diamonds hanging in it. They seemed so close, like she could raise a hand and snatch one out of the sky. Instead of trying, she let the sound of the crickets wash over her, soaking in the tranquility of the night. 

Then she nodded her head minutely, chin dipping ever so slightly. In the moon-drenched twilight, Seulgi thought she looked like the spitting image of a Greek goddess. She belonged up in Olympus somewhere, peering down from behind the moon’s shoulder at the rest of the world. Seulgi tried to envision it, Irene as Aphrodite or Athena or Eirene. 

“Alright.” Irene’s voice was smooth and soft, like fresh fallen snow before anyone or anything had trampled over it. It snapped Seulgi out of her starstruck state and back to reality again, where they were just two mortals sharing the sky and all it had to offer them. “Let’s have it, then.”

The two girls lay side by side on a dewy grass hill on top of a swatch of red and white checkered blanket. It was the first time either one had spoken since they arrived. They’d been too entranced by silence of the hillside and the almost sanctimonious beauty of the night sky spread out before them to even think of breaking the magic of the moment. 

“What if shooting stars  _ weren’t  _ just rock or dust or ice?” Irene turned her head and gave her an incredulous look, dark eyes flashing in the moon-soaked light. “What if they were souls or something? That’d be a whole lot cooler than just a ball of dust, right?” 

There was another breath of silence. Surprising even herself, Irene didn’t burst out in a fit of laughter at Seulgi’s idea. Rather, the older girl allowed Seulgi’s remark to sink in as they stared at the stars. “What kind of souls?” Irene asked calmly, going along with the idea while flicking a bug off of her arm. Summer was just beginning to die down into autumn, allowing for pleasant enough weather for stargazing and for the bugs to romp their last. 

Seulgi grinned, a flash of muted white against the dim light of the moon and there came the sound of her head turning against the crinkly fabric of the blanket again. “Good or bad souls, you mean?” Seulgi asked. Irene nodded in agreement again, her eyes tracing over the constellations as she mulled Seulgi’s words over in her head.

She’d already found The Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion and his belt, and Cassiopeia. Now she was on the lookout for Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. “Good or bad, yeah,” Irene said. “The saved being released into heaven or the damned being sent to hell, I guess you could say.” She shrugged again, sounding indifferent to both but still curious enough to find out the answer. 

She folded her hands on top of her chest and felt Seulgi’s gaze on her in the dark, studying her. “Would it be too easy of an answer for me to say both?” Seulgi asked, snickering softly. Irene rolled her eyes, even though Seulgi couldn’t see, and jutted an elbow into the younger girl’s side. She knew now that Seulgi had been pulling her leg the entire time. “Idiot.” Seulgi scoffed, pretending to be hurt by Irene’s offhandedness. 

“Says the one who fell for it first,” Seulgi shot back, a smile tugging at her lips.

The two girls looked at each other, then away and up at the sky. An easy silence settled over them again. Fresh air filled their lungs and cleared their minds of any strife of the college life. She felt a mixture of pride and happiness that the younger girl had thought up of such a wonderful way to spend the weekend.

“But really, which one do you think, Seulgi?” Irene asked, curiosity getting the better of her. “I think shooting stars are good souls,” the younger girl pipes up, her voice filled with wishful thinking and longful hoping. “Maybe when we die, we’re all kind of just waiting for the right moment to let ourselves go, when we know we’ve lived a good enough life to rest peacefully. The shooting star could be a sign to our loved ones that we finally made it back home.” 

A tear begins to threaten to spill over Irene’s cheek and she coughs lightly. “Maybe one day, we’ll both be shooting stars,” Irene replied, her voice far away as the two of them studied the great sprawl of twilight and twinkling. Just then, there came a streak of yellow, lightning fast, against the dark sky. It disappeared after a second or two, but both girls had seen it go by. 

Each of them released a breath they didn’t know they’d been holding.

“Make a wish, Seul.” 

 


	2. Day III: Morning - Wenjoy

The pillow comes crashing down on Seungwan’s face, breaking the tranquility of her dream in a heartbeat. The Canadian woman is so used to the abrupt wake up call that she doesn’t even jump like she used to when Sooyoung started this habit up a few months ago. Instead of freaking out over the jarring motion, she calmly brushes the offending item off of her face and runs a hand through her hair. She turns over beneath the sheets to glare sleepily at her assailant. 

“Hey. Rise and shine, Seungwan-ah,” Sooyoung says from across the room. Without her glasses on, Sooyoung is just an unfocused blur of red and black checkered pajama pants and a plain white shirt leaning against the doorframe. Her voice is overly sweet for seven o’clock in the morning, but Seungwan flashes a bleary, sleepy smile in her general direction nevertheless.

“Good morning,” she sighs in response. The Canadian woman reaches a hand out, blindly grasping for her glasses atop the bedside table. As she does so, she notices Seulgi’s empty, half-made bed. Seulgi’s usually the last one to get up on a day off. Something was up.

“Where’s Seulgi-ah gone?” Seungwan asks, slipping the glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Usually you have to pry her from her bedframe before she’ll get up.” She blinks the sleep away from her eyes, chasing it away with the slabs of sunlight pouring in from the windows. Sooyoung shrugs at the door frame noncommittally, playing with the mug in her hands. The steam from it rises and evaporates in the sun-drenched room like the shroud of a ghostly veil.

Seungwan watched her quietly, taking in the sight of Sooyoung’s bedridden state. Her hair, short and shoulder length, was swept across every which way and Sooyoung hadn’t even bothered to fix it. A dreamy smile pulled at Seungwan’s lips. 

“The unnies and Yeri-ah went out for breakfast,” Sooyoung explained, looking down at her mug. “They didn’t want to wake you because you seemed like you needed some rest. I  _ was _ invited because I was already up but I figured I’d better stay back. I’d feel bad if you woke up on your own, wondering where we’d all gone.” 

Seungwan’s smile widens and her eyebrows flick up flirtatiously. She props herself up on an elbow and winks from behind the thick lenses of her glasses. “Nice of you.” There’s a hint of teasing in her voice and Sooyoung rolls her eyes at it, but Seungwan can still see her blushing. 

“Get up so we can have breakfast, you cheeseball. Before I throw another pillow at you.” With that, the taller woman walks out of the room, the door clicking shut softly behind her. 

The Canadian woman flops back down on her back, staring at the ceiling as the sounds of clanking pans starts up from the kitchen. She swings off of the bed, makes her way down the hallway, and slips into the kitchen. Sooyoung stands at the stovetop, staring down at a pan with a pad of butter slowly melting in the center. 

An array of ingredients lay lined up beside her on the counter. There was an egg carton, a big blue and white bag of pancake mix, a packet of low-sodium bacon, a box of mushrooms, a large tomato, a plastic container of spinach, the works.

“What’s cooking?” Seungwan asks as she shuffles towards the coffee maker, rubbing at her eyes. In spite of getting two extra hours of sleep and getting smacked in the face with a pillow, she still felt beat. Probably had something to do with them being idols. She was used to the rundown feeling, yet still held a distaste for it. She grabs the coffee pot and shakes it once. Empty but for the tiniest amount of caffeine at the bottom. 

“Coffee?” Seungwan offers, glancing in Sooyoung’s direction. 

“Please.” 

She moves over to the cupboard with the coffee filters and the coffee bean bags and plucks a filter out and her favorite dark roast out. Sooyoung watches her as she takes the cap off of the coffee grinder and fills it up with the beans. They pitter patter into the machine like the sound of tingling bells before being chewed up into a fine grain.

“I was thinking pancakes? Maybe with an omelette and bacon on the side?” Sooyoung ponders aloud once the machine stops its roar. She moves the pad of butter around with a wooden spatula. Seungwan taps the grounds into the coffee filter and sets the coffee maker brewing, listening and nodding along politely.

They both knew that Sooyoung always had her way when it came to her. The taller woman could throw a pillow at Seungwan without her getting angry, for Christ’s sake. Sooyoung had her wrapped around her little finger like a diamond engagement ring and both of them knew it. “We’ve still got half a bag of pancake mix left. I’m craving something Western today,” Sooyoung adds. 

“That sounds good. I’ll get the mixer,” Seungwan replies with an easy smile. The two of them work like the perfect team. Seungwan breaks out another pan and churns up the pancake mix to pour in while Sooyoung goes about them both omelettes, then the bacon. Music plays softly from a set of bluetooth speakers Yeri had set up in the corner from Sooyoung’s phone. They dance along to it, bobbing their heads and giggling at each other in front of the stove.

The coffee maker goes off while Seungwan’s pouring in the first batch of the pancakes, five minutes later. Sooyoung puts the last of the bacon on a platter and goes to pour them both a mugful. When she sets down Seungwan’s coffee on the counter, the Canadian woman is pleased to discover that Sooyoung remembers how she likes it. A splash of coconut milk and a tablespoon of brown sugar. Perfection in a cup. 

A warm feeling spread across her chest, from the center of her heart and outwards, traveling down to the tips of her fingers. Sooyoung never fails to remind her just how in love with her she is. “Thanks.”  Sooyoung nods at her and comes to stand over her shoulder, eyeing the pancakes. She’s close enough for Seungwan to feel the radiating warmth coming off of her. It’s a calming sort of sensation, one that’s always been there when it comes to Sooyoung. 

The two of them stare at the pancakes, munching on the cooked bacon and taking measured sips of their coffees. “How do you know they’re ready to flip?” Sooyoung asks, bowing her head down to press her chin against Seungwan’s shoulder. Welcoming the gesture, Seungwan hums and leans backwards against the taller woman. “Well,” the Canadian woman starts, waving her spatula at the pan. “When the bottom of the pancake gets these little tiny holes in it, you’re all set.” Sooyoung stoops a little lower to see and her hair brushes against Seungwan’s cheek. 

“Wanna try?” She holds up the spatula in offering, turning her head slightly to gauge Sooyoung’s expression. They’re close enough for their noses to brush together when she does, but neither one of them pull away. Instead, the two young idols look at each other, neither one of them flinching. There, in their kitchen, with the whole dorm to themselves, neither one of them had anything to hide that the other didn’t already know.

Slowly, a smile spreads across Sooyoung’s face. It reaches her eyes and they light up with something akin to pure delight. Seungwan’s eyes flicker down to watch the way her lips pulled back, full and red and tantalizing as always. When she met Sooyoung’s eye again, she could see the way Sooyoung knew she’d been looking, the satisfaction lying behind her pupils said it all. But Seungwan smiled back, because she knew the way Sooyoung looked at her was in the same way.

Both of them there, in the kitchen, cooking breakfast together with love settled down in their eyes like a lived-in house. “I guess I wouldn’t be opposed to learning something new.” Sooyoung backed off slightly, still smiling and still close enough for Seungwan to feel the aura of her. Her eyes glinted with mischief as she studied Seungwan’s expression carefully. “Okay,” Seungwan replied, waving the spatula in the air. “Set down your mug and gimme your hand, then.” 

Sooyoung chuckled and obliged, willingly giving Seungwan her palm. Seungwan took it and wrapped her fingers around the handle of the spatula. “We’re going to try the first pancake,” Seungwan said, placing her hand over Sooyoung’s. Together, they lifted the edge of the white little saucer shape. “See that?” Seungwan asked, moving to the side so that Sooyoung could see. “Beneath, it’s a nice even brown. That means it’s ready to be flipped.” 

Just before she dug the rest of the spatula beneath the pancake, Sooyoung stopped her and removed her hand. “How do you flip the pancake without messing it up? There’s like four other pancakes surrounding it,” she said, leaning her hip against the counter by the stove. Seungwan shot her a wink. “Watch and learn, cupcake.” 

“Twenty bucks says you can’t flip it without messing up,” the younger woman retorts. “I’ll take that bet,” Seungwan replied, shooting her a wink. Once she was sure Sooyoung had stopped rolling her eyes at her, Seungwan dramatically lifted the pancake into the air with a practiced flick of her wrist. It landed back on the pan with a soft sizzle and Seungwan turned her head to give Sooyoung a sly look. 

“I believe you said twenty, right?” Seungwan says casually, doing the same thing with the rest of the pancakes. Sooyoung took a long sip from her coffee and then moved to refill her cup. “Remind me to never gamble before breakfast,” she says dryly. Out of the corner of her eye, Seungwan watches as the taller woman disappears around the corner of the kitchen and makes her way into the living room. There’s the flickering of the TV and the sound of a commercial coming to life.

Humming, Seungwan cooks the rest of the pancakes and then sets a small pile on each of their plates. She grabs a bottle of maple syrup from the fridge and a pair of cutlery from a drawer, then makes her way into the living room. Sooyoung accepts her plate without batting an eyelash at her, too transfixed on what was happening on the screen. “How long before they come back, you think?” Seungwan asks, chowing down on her omelette. 

Sooyoung drizzles a fair amount of syrup across her pancake and shrugs. “Knowing them, it could be hours. Seulgi-unnie can get pretty caught up with photographing everything nowadays with that film camera of hers, and Irene-unnie is always too pleased when she asks her to pose to say no.” The two of them snicker. “What a pair of love birds,” Seungwan sighs wistfully, as if she weren’t in love with the woman sitting next to her.

“I guess so. I mean, I’d say we’re a pretty good pair, too.” Sooyoung shrugs, takes a sip of her coffee. “We’re just not as obvious as they are.” Seungwan looks at her, surprised, but Sooyoung’s still looking at the TV screen instead of her. The Canadian woman is silent for a moment, thinking over what had been said. The unspoken had been spoken, and now she wasn’t sure what she should say or do or think. So she decides to play dumb, if just for a second.

“Love birds, you mean?” Seungwan says incredulously, stealing the syrup to pour over her pancakes. Her heart pounds as she sets the bottle back on the coffee table and shovels a forkful of fluffiness into her mouth. She knows her cheeks are redder than a blazing wildfire and dips her head in embarrassment. Sooyoung just chuckles at her. “That’s right. We make a good team, you and I.” 

She turns her head to look at Seungwan finally, and smiles sweetly at her, turning her heart into mush. “Don’t you think, Seungwan-ah?” They stare at each other for a moment, reminded of the fact that they are two members of Red Velvet, that the public is still against relationships that aren’t heterosexual, that they’re idols. But the feeling swelling in both of their chests is enough for them to both start leaning in, regardless of the consequences that may come with their love.


	3. Day IV: Reincarnation - Jensoo

Day 4: Reincarnation

Paring: Jensoo

Plot:

 

Jisoo bumped into her at a train station one sun soaked evening. It was golden hour, a faint breeze was blowing from the east. Dappled sunlight meandered through the trees and fell in odd rays here and there on the concrete. The tops of the high rises stood tall and gilded and the world held that crispness only the sun could give. 

Jisoo had just finished up the last of her homework at her university and was on her way back to apartment for the night. Her backpack was heavy on her shoulders and her eyelids were drooping from the warmth of the air surrounding her. It had been a long day and she couldn’t wait to just take her shoes off and slump into bed. 

It happened when she had been getting in while another woman wearing all black and large sunglasses was getting off, and in some way or another, their shoulders ended up colliding in the process.Luckily for them, neither one of them ended up on the pavement. It wasn’t a particularly hard impact, either, the woman in all black was petite. Yet the moment Jisoo feels the woman’s hand wrap around her arm to steady herself, it felt as if she’d been barrelled over by one of the train cars.

A wave of memories that didn’t seem to belong to her but  _ were  _ hers, came crashing over her. First, she saw herself standing in the middle of what looked like New York City in the early 70’s. She was twenty-five years old and she had long, black locks and was wearing designer clothing she could only have dreamt to afford now. The woman,  _ Jennie _ , was standing next to her and holding her hand with a bright smile on her face. 

They were pushing through the crowd of people on the sidewalk, headed towards the Empire State building. Excitement was bursting through their veins. They were love birds in the middle of The Big Apple on a trip after graduating from university in Seoul. Diamond engagement rings glittered on their ring fingers, illuminated by the sunlight. 

When they finally reached the tourist attraction, Jisoo couldn’t help but press a chaste kiss to Jennie’s cheek in the elevator up to the top floor. They were young and happy, carefree to the world around them.

In the next flash of memory, she and Jennie were thirty and were celebrating Jennie’s birthday in a fancy sushi restaurant in Seoul. There was a ring of their friends sitting with them from their college years. As Jisoo’s eyes swept over each face, she felt her heart begin to pound harder within her chest. 

A weight was beginning to settle over her, the knowledge that she had lived a life she’d never known, had friends she’d never seen, a set of parents who had loved her dearly, yet at the same time it was lifting.

It made her understand why people seemed so surprised by her wisdom and insight on many different topics, why she seemed to know so much about the world around them. She’d lived more than one life. In her past life, she had been born in an earlier time, had gone through university and pursued a profession in business. No wonder why she excelled in her coursework, it was a subject familiar to her.

When the next flash of memories hit, Jisoo and Jennie were older, much older than they had been in their previous memories. Jennie’s hair had turned begun to turn gray and she lay in the middle of a hospital bed, looking thin and frail in a white hospital gown. The air around them was heavy with the scent of antiseptic and death, as most hospitals are.

Jisoo was there, sitting in a chair by the bed and holding Jennie’s hand. Jennie’s fingers felt so brittle that Jisoo was scared she might crush the bone if she weren’t careful. “It’s alright, now,” Jisoo heard herself saying. Her voice was low and as weathered, sitting there helpless in her chair as she watched her wife die. Cancer is one hell of a disease,  was her last thought before Jennie slipped away, leaving her staring at her with the heart rate monitor bottoming out. 

“I love you,” Jisoo whispered, sitting there with tears blurring her eyes. Jennie’s hand was still warm when Jisoo let go of it, standing up to call for a doctor. 

The flow of memories from her past life ends as quickly as it had started, and Jisoo finds herself still holding the woman in her arms in the middle of the train station. A warm gust of wind caresses their faces, contrasting with the chilling cold of the hospital room Jisoo had recalled. From the wild way the woman’s eyes are widened from behind the dark lenses of her glasses, Jisoo knows that she felt the same wave of emotion and memories.

“Jennie?” Jisoo whispered, her voice hoarse from all she had seen. 

“Jisoo?” Jennie whispered back, taking her sunglasses off. 

The two young women stared at each other and saw a life they had led, where they had loved each other and had spent years together, where they had known a completely different set of people and had experiences they were only now remembering. The train pulled away and neither one of them moved an inch when its horn sounded and it began to pull away from the tracks. Jisoo was still holding onto Jennie as if she were going to float away in the breeze.

“Are you doing anything right now?” Jisoo asked, still trying to wrap her head around what was going on. Reluctantly, she let go of the shorter woman and took a respectful step back, giving both of them room to breathe again. Jennie shook her head left to right.  “I was just on my way home. I just got out of class.” She lifted a backpack strap in her hand that Jisoo hadn’t spotted. “Good,” Jisoo said, relief flooding her voice. 

“I think we’ve got a few things to catch up on. Maybe a few lifetimes or something. At least, if you want to, that is.” Jennie snickered at her and her lame joke, then shouldered her backpack. “I think I’ve got time for that. Where do you want to go?” The light struck Jennie’s eyes and turned them a shade of liquid gold. Jisoo felt tempted to reach out and trace the features on her face, but stopped herself. Even if she’d met her soulmate again, they still needed a moment to readjust to their new lifetime.

“Anywhere,” Jisoo replied. She was ready to follow Jennie around the world. If Jennie said the world, Jisoo would go. Jennie gave her a wide grin, and their hands linked together of their own accord, as if they’d done this a million times already. Perhaps they had.

“I think I know a place,” Jennie murmured.


	4. Day V: Spell - Chaelisa

 

Aphrodite lived in Chaeyoung’s eyes. A pair of bright, shining twin orbs the shade of dark brown, warm and coaxing. With them, Chaeyoung welcomed you further into the depths of the alluring spell you couldn’t help but fall under. In fact, the young Korean singer held nearly everyone she met in a trance and was well aware of the powerful spell she had over her admirers.

The first time Lisa caught sight of Chaeyoung, every muscle in her body ached and her brain felt swollen with trying to translate the words of a language she didn’t know. It was the end of a long but familiar day for Lisa and the rest of the trainees of YG Entertainment. By then, it was just past ten o’clock and the stars were out but Lisa couldn’t even spare the energy to look for them.

Lisa stumbled down the stairs with the other trainees in her group, ready to walk home to her dorm and catch a few hours of sleep before she had to return early in the morning for her vocal lessons. It’d been a twelve hour day and she was having trouble remembering if she’d eaten dinner or not yet when she nearly tripped on someone’s shoe.

She’d began crossing the lobby near the far wall of the room, where the seating area for guests was, and hadn’t been looking where she was going. Her eyelids drooped with every step she took and that’s when it happened. One moment she was sleepwalking, and the next she was flying forward in the air. A hand shot out to steady her upright, and Lisa felt her heart catch in her throat.

Her life had nearly flashed before her eyes and she couldn’t even remember the words for ‘I’m sorry’ in Korean. A fresh wave of humiliation washed over Lisa, causing her to keep her head down and her eyes glued to the floor, unable to meet her savior’s gaze. The jarring sensation of falling had woken her up faster than a cup of coffee.

“Whoa, there,” a soft voice called out. The hand let go of her now that“Are you alright?” Though she didn’t understand the words, Lisa registered the gentle tone of the girl’s voice. She was too tired to feel embarrassed about almost sprawling face first on the floor and from her lack of knowledge of the language being spoken to her, but she did finally remember to stop and bow in respect to the girl who’d saved her.

“Ah, thank you,” Lisa mumbled cautiously, still unsure of herself in the foreign language. She bowed her lowest for a full five seconds, and when she straightened, she felt the stiffness and the drowsiness instantly disappear. A girl with long black hair and eyeliner sat there on a cushioned bench with a guitar next to her. She had one hand covering her mouth and was obviously smiling behind it, her eyes turned up at the corners.

“You’re welcome.” _That_ Lisa understood. She flashed a nervous smile at the girl, aware of the fact that her friends were all still in the process of leaving and that she probably looked a little odd standing and staring at this girl. But Lisa could hardly help herself. She’d already fallen for Chaeyoung’s spell, and she hadn’t even learned her name yet.

“Goodbye,” Lisa murmured quietly. She took one last look at the girl, who was still smiling up at her, then made her way towards the exit. By then, the fatigue had found her again, and Lisa was doing her best to not trip over her own feet in the process of taking her leave. As she went along the star-soaked sidewalk, Lisa conjured up the girl’s face from memory and wondered why she’d been sitting by herself in the lobby.

Perhaps she was waiting for her audition results? Or perhaps a ride home? From the glimpse Lisa had taken of the girl’s face, she knew that the girl was pretty enough to be an idol without a shadow of a doubt. Lisa remembered the guitar leaning up against her on the bench, how it was worn but well-taken care of. As she walked up to her dorm, she wondered if she’d ever see the girl again. When she stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom and drifted off to sleep, she was almost certain that she would.

 

**

 

Lisa comes out of her dance practice room, wiping her sweat off with a hand towel. She’s dead beat, barely standing, but she’s happier than she’s felt in weeks. Finally, she’s been making progress in her dancing classes, as well as her Korean. Her dance instructor had been gradually placing her in more and more difficult classes, and showed her approval constantly during lessons.

Her Korean had improved to the point where she no longer needed translations, thanks to the constant help she had from her trainee friends, Jisoo and Jennie. She was working towards being the cream of the crop of the YG’s trainees, and it felt like nothing could stop her now. A satisfied smile tugged at her lips despite the exhaustion wearing in her bones.

Progress was finally being made, and her dream seemed _that_ much closer to being attained. She felt as if she were walking on the clouds themselves as she slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed towards the stairs.

“Hey, Lisa!” A voice chimes, breaking her from her thoughts. Lisa glances up to see a group of trainees huddled around the room over, waving at her. “Come over here, there’s a new trainee who’s recording demos right now - all of us are checking her out,” A voice chimes out, echoing down the hallway. Lisa drops the towel from her face and flashes a tired smile at them.

It wouldn’t hurt to look, she thought to herself, and began meandering her way over towards them. Besides, taking a peek would give her a chance to size up the new girl. Not that she was worried or anything. Within the trainee community, it was normal to check out potential competition. After all, any one of them could be gone in an instant - whether it be from quitting or being kicked out from the program.

Here, in this world, everything hung in a very unstable balance. The slightest misstep, and it might have just been your last. Lisa sidles up behind everyone and peered through the glass. The new girl had her back to everyone, and Lisa squinted at the faint reflection of her face in the window. All of them strained to hear the girl’s voice, hushing each other loudly and trying to elbow their way closer to the glass and catch a glimpse of the trainee’s face.

All of the sudden, there came the quiet boom of the bass from the studio. Instantly, everyone fell silent, eyes trained on the girl, who was bobbing her head along to the beat. Noses pressed against the glass, the trainees became hyper aware of the music flowing through the studio’s speakers, but the girl in question had yet to open her mouth and sing.

Just as Lisa was about to turn away, it happened. The sound of the trainee’s melodic voice filled the air, loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear. Lisa froze mid-step, entranced by the girl’s voice. She hadn’t heard another trainee sing like that since she joined YG, months and months ago. There was a magic to it, it drew you in, and Lisa found herself spinning around on her heel and wordlessly trying to push her way closer to the sound.

Not one trainee dared speak. The only sound was the muffled voice of the trainee and the heavy beat of the music from behind the glass and the rising and falling of their chests as they breathed. But just as quickly as the singing started up, it stopped. Lisa watched as the girl took off the large headphones and hung them up on the music stand in front of her.

She took the time then to look the trainee over, before she turned around and saw everyone standing there and studying her. The girl had long, black locks that reached below her shoulder blades and was wearing a pair of torn up blue jeans and a blue and red flannel shirt. Her figure was slender, like Lisa could fit her entire hand all the way around the girl’s waist.

The black haired girl stood completely still, nodding at the producers, who were no doubt giving her more instructions through the loudspeakers. Then, the girl bowed and made her way towards the recording room door, not even batting an eye at the window behind her as she went. As soon as she disappeared from the recording studio, the crowd of trainees dispersed in all directions. Most of them headed towards the stairs at a brisk pace, on their way home, while others took shelter in dance practice rooms.

Only a handful of people were milling about the hallway when the outside door of the recording room opened, revealing the trainee. Instantly, her and Lisa’s eyes met. Lisa felt her heart begin to beat faster. _Of course_ this trainee had to be the same girl she’d accidentally tripped over, and Lisa’s cheeks began to burn. The girl heads towards her, offering a timid smile.

Her eyes glow in the fluorescent lights, and Lisa finds herself caught up in them again.

“Hi, my name’s Chaeyoung. I didn’t get to catch your name when we met a month or so ago,” the girl says, bowing politely at her. “I think they’re putting us in the same trial girl group next week with Jennie and Jisoo, is that right?” Lisa looks at her and knows she’ll never be able to escape her.

Not with that haunting voice or her ethereal beauty. She sees herself reflected in Chaeyoung’s eyes, standing there with her eyes wide and enamored. Being a part of a trial group usually meant that the company was thinking of forming a new boy or girl group and was testing out the chemistry of a particular sample of trainees.

It was a step closer to achieving the dream of debuting, it was like winning the lottery. “Lisa. Nice to meet you, Chaeyoung-ssi,” Lisa said, returning Chaeyoung’s bow. A smile tugged at her lips without her even realizing it. Everything seemed to be falling into place now, with her dance lessons and knowing Korean and now, to top it all off, she’d fallen in love and was being placed in a trial group.

“I hope you’re right about the trial group,” Lisa said, and the two of the began walking down the stairway together. They made it down to the lobby and passed the spot where Lisa had tripped on Chaeyoung’s shoe. Just before they made it to the front doors, Lisa stopped and gave her another smile.

“But either way, looks like we’re going to be stuck together for a little while.”

 

 


	5. Day VI: Dog Park - Joyri

 

“Bet you can’t walk over and pet that great dane,” Sooyoung says, flashing Yeri a malicious smirk. They’re trailing arm in arm along a leaf-littered sidewalk in the outskirts of a dog park. The autumn air is cool, tickling their noses with the crisp scent of dry air, wood rot, and earth. Their breath trails out in front of them and Sooyoung’s border collie, Gunner, strains against his leash, attempting to pull them in the direction of the massive dog.

“I’m _not_ afraid of dogs anymore,” Yeri frowns, tugging on her scarf with her free hand. “I even asked if _you_ wanted to go to the dog park today!” As she side-eyes the great dane from across the way, her girlfriend’s eyebrows shoot up her forehead. “Is that so?” Another smirk is forming on Sooyoung’s lips, her eyes crinkling up at the sides with pure joy at posing a challenge to Yeri’s fears. “Then you’re fine if I let Gunner say hello, right?”

Yeri hesitates for a moment. The great dane looked enormous, even from a distance. The owner of it had taken off its leash, as most people did with their dogs in an enclosed dog park, and it stood tall in the midst of a line of bushes. The color of its coat was of a deep, pitch black, like the darkest of nights, and its eyes burned auburn in the sunlight. For a split second, the hellhound myth flashed in Yeri’s mind.

The great dane’s ears perked up as it caught sight of them, and it stood wagging its powerful tail, watching Gunner with interest alight in its eyes. “You know what, let’s do it! That’ll show you I’ve gotten over my fear one hundred percent. They’re supposed to be gentle giants, right?” Yeri says, forcing enthusiasm into her voice. Sooyoung gives her arm an affectionate squeeze before leading them over towards the other dog.

Sooyoung lets go of her and Gunner’s leash a few steps away from the massive dog, leaving her straggling behind for a moment. Naturally, Sooyoung’s right at home with the dog, putting her hand out for the great dane to smell before giving its large head a pat. The tall brunette’s face lit up light a child’s would on Christmas morning, and the sight of Sooyoung’s happiness made Yeri’s heart swell within her chest.

But even though Gunner and Sooyoung rushed forward with excitement, Yeri, on the other hand, stood a little further away, watching. “His name’s Brutus!” Sooyoung called over her shoulder, shooting Yeri a gleeful look. Gunner circled the pair of them, curiously sniffing at the other dog. Yeri just stared at the scene before her, taking everything in. Brutus was taller than Sooyoung when she bent down on her knees to pet him and Yeri was still trying to wrap her head around how that could be possible. The entire situation seemed like something out of a K-Drama.

“Isn’t that a fitting name for him?” Sooyoung cooed, petting the great dane as if it were a toy poodle and not towering a few inches above her. “I think he’s taller than Joohyun-unnie when he stands up!” Yeri chuckled at that and began inching closer to Sooyoung and Brutus, reassured by the great dane’s calm nature. As she took a few baby steps, Brutus’s attention turned to her and she found herself staring into the depths of his dark amber eyes.

Rather than being struck with terror, there was something about Brutus that calmed Yeri’s nerves. Though she’d recently gotten over her fear of dogs and was fine with most of the dogs they’d met, she had yet to see a dog bigger than Gunner before. Granted, it had taken her a month or so to get used to Gunner’s energetic personality. When Sooyoung brought him home a few months ago as a puppy, Gunner was almost constantly in motion.

His playfulness had at first startled Yeri, especially when she would round the corner of their apartment with him chasing after her. As he grew bigger, Yeri became used to his abundance of energy and came to enjoy his company. In time, she even began volunteering to walk him when Sooyoung couldn’t find the time and was the person who Gunner brought his chew toys to play with him. Sometimes, Sooyoung would claim to their friends that Gunner liked Yeri more than her.

If Gunner thought Brutus was fine to be around, that had to mean the great dane was trustworthy, right? Yeri took another step closer. “That’s it!” Sooyoung was encouraging her, “Just reach your hand out for him to sniff and then you can pet him.”  Gunner flopped down in the grass beside Brutus, his tongue lolling out of his mouth from running circles around them. The border collie looked up at her, panting, and tilted his head, curious as to what she was doing.

Yeri looked back and forth between Brutus, Gunner, and Sooyoung, then finally stretched a hand out. She turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for something to happen. Curious, Brutus leaned forward and pressed his nose against Yeri’s palm, as if searching for a hidden treat. Just before the massive dog pulled away, his tongue tickled her palm and Yeri giggled, pulling her hand away to tossle his ears.

“See!” Her girlfriend smiled, and went back to petting the great dane. At her side, Gunner whined for attention. “Nothing to worry about. Brutus is just one big softie. Right, Brutus?” Yeri hummed in agreement, suddenly glad Sooyoung had dragged her over to the great dane. This proved that she wasn’t afraid of any dog, no matter the shape or size. A satisfied smile fixed itself across her face and she pressed a kiss to Sooyoung’s cheek.

“Thank you for this,” Yeri mumbled into her ear, giggling when she pulled away and caught sight of Sooyoung’s shocked expression. Chuckling, she straightened and gave the great dane one last pat on his head. “As much as I loved meeting Brutus here, we’ve still got half the park to cover and I think Gunner’s ready to go.”

Before Sooyoung could reply, a voice called out from somewhere behind the bushes. “Brutus!” Yeri’s eyebrows furrowed together, and she whipped her head in the direction of where the voice had come from. The great dane picked himself up from his haunches and stood tall, wagging his tail. “Brutus, here boy!” A woman with dark brown hair rounded the corner with a leash in hand a moment later, and a relieved smile broke out across her face.

“There you are, Brutus!” She called, welcoming the dog as he bounded towards her. Once she successfully hooked his leash on, she looked up at the two young woman staring at her and smiled. “Oh, hey, guys. I didn’t know you guys were around. What’s up?”

“ _Seulgi-unnie_?” Sooyoung gasped, leaping up from the grass. “Is this your dog?” Seulgi scratches the back of her head and puts on a puzzled expression while petting Brutus. “Actually, it’s kind of a funny story but -”

“Seulgi? Brutus?” Another voice chimes out, interrupting Seulgi. “Where are you guys?”

“Over here!” Seulgi calls out, smiling as Joohyun pushes her way through the bushes.

“ _Joohyun-unnie_!” Yeri exclaims, her eyes growing wide. “Brutus is _your_ dog?”

Joohyun throws her head back, laughing at their wild expressions, and shakes her head. She walks over to Seulgi’s side and links their arms together, leaning her weight comfortably against the taller woman. “No, Seulgi and I are just watching Brutus for a friend for a few days while they’re out of town. He’s been an absolute saint this weekend, haven’t you boy? Kind of makes me want a great dane of my own, honestly.”

With this, Joohyun gives Seulgi a pointed look that the younger woman ignores, too preoccupied with fishing a toy out of her back pocket. “Ready, boy?” Seulgi says, waving the chew toy up in the air. Both Brutus and Gunner snap to attention, wagging their tails in unison. “Go get it!” Seulgi turns on her heel and heaves the toy into the air. The moment it leaves her fingers, both dogs sprint off, chasing it down.

 “Attaboy,” Seulgi grins, watching as Gunner and Brutus began playing tug of war with the toy. The four women chuckle as they watch the pets playing with each other. A few moments later, the dogs circle back, and Brutus drops the toy at Seulgi’s feet. “Does this mean Yeri’s fear of dogs has subsided now?” Seulgi asks, tossing the toy again for their dogs to fetch.

Joohyun looks expectantly at Yeri and Sooyoung, waiting for the answer. “I’m all set,” she replies, shooting Sooyoung an easy smile. Her girlfriend throws an arm around her shoulders and grins at the two older woman, “Today I definitely helped cement it.” Rolling her eyes a little bit, Yeri pretended to scoff. She gently pushed Sooyoung off and bent down to pick up the chew toy from Seulgi’s hands. She dangled the toy in front of the dogs for a moment before flinging it for them to chase. When she turned around, she was blushing.

“Maybe you helped a little.”

 

 


	6. Day VII: Kittens - Saida

 

 

Dahyun couldn’t remember who exactly thought it was a good idea for her to walk nearly _all_ of the dogs the animal shelter had at the _same time_ , but there she was, being dragged down the sidewalk by ten different dogs in ten different directions in the midst of the suburbs. An elderly woman carrying an armful of groceries gave her an odd look as she passed by, causing a furious blush to bloom across the college girl’s fair cheeks.

The blush remained for the entirety of the walk, like an eternal flame that refused to sputter out. Yet regardless of the struggle it was to keep all the leashes from tangling together and keep them on a somewhat controlled pace, there was a smile stretching wide across Dahyun’s face. To the dark haired girl, volunteering at the animal shelter down the street from her apartment was one of the best parts about the weekend.

Dahyun loved playing with the kittens and the puppies, she enjoyed the fresh air while walking the dogs, and she loved the way all of the animals’ eyes seemed to light up when they saw her every weekend. Nothing made Dahyun feel better than knowing she was making them happy, giving them the hope that perhaps someday they’d be adopted into a loving home. Everybody and everything wanted to be loved, and Dahyun had plenty of that to go around.

Perhaps the only downfall of her job was the way she felt heartbroken once one of the animals finally got adopted and she had to part ways with them. Sometimes, her heart loved too much for its own good. As her thoughts wandered aimlessly, she and the pack of dogs circled around the end of the street and headed back towards the direction of the animal shelter.

While walking the dogs was usually Dahyun’s favorite activity to do while volunteering at the shelter, she had heard a rumor from one of the other volunteers, Jihyo, that there was a new arrival joining them. Before Dahyun got the chance to meet her, Jihyo had handed her a bag of filled with dog leashes and sent her on her way. A thrill of excitement coursed through Dahyun’s veins.

Not only did volunteering help Dahyun feel like she were making a difference in the world, but it also introduced her to people who were just like her - willing to help and give as much love as they could to those around them. Dahyun had met Jihyo on her first day as a volunteer. The older girl was the one who had trained her and showed her the ropes of the place, instructing her on how to clean a kennel properly or how to tell which animals were feeling down.

Jihyo had been volunteering at the shelter since she was nearly twelve years old. Having taken a field trip to the shelter with her Girl Guide troop to help take care of the animals for an afternoon, Jihyo had become smitten with all the animals there. Year after year, the resilient girl returned to offer what she could give to the organization, thoroughly enjoying her work.

Nayeon was the second volunteer Dahyun met. One afternoon, Dahyun had just finished signing her name on the sign-in sheet in the lobby when out of nowhere, she was bombarded by a swarm of dogs. All of the canines were leashed, and they happily jumped up and down beside her in hopes of gaining her attention.

“Hi!” A warm voice chirped. Dahyun blinked at a brunette with large brown eyes, her arms wound up with all the leashes. “You must Dahyun, right? I’d offer you a handshake...but, well, you know. Anyways, Jihyo’s told me all about you already.” Dahyun flashed Nayeon a smile, slightly embarrassed and overwhelmed at the amount of attention she was receiving from both the dogs and from the pretty girl standing confidently in front of her.

“That’s me, Kim Dahyun! Nice to meet you, Naeyeon. Maybe I could give you a hand with those leashes if you want? I’ve signed in just now,” Dahyun offered, glancing at the leashes straining in Nayeon’s hands. “Oh, that’s alright. I’m used to it by now! If anything, it’s more a miracle that they can handle _me_ and not the other way around.” The other girl threw back her head in a bout of laughter that seemed to shake the shelter walls.

“I think we’re going to get along just fine, Dahyun. Call me if you ever need anything!” With that, Naeyeon had simply whistled once to gain the dogs’ attention. With a wink thrown Dahyun’s way, the girl whirled away down the hall towards the play area, all of the dogs in tow. Looking back on the memory, Dahyun’s certain she must’ve stood there for five minutes afterwards, trying to process what just happened.

Dahyun met Mina and Momo at the same time, both having walked in from walking the dogs, a jumble of leashes between the two of them. They’d entered the shelter speaking Japanese, conversing softly with each other as they did, just as Dahyun had finished signing in. Dahyun remembers turning around at the unfamiliar language, and thinking to herself that perhaps Momo’s love struck gaze spoke more for than anything she’d said the entire time she’d watched them.

Next came Tzuyu and Chaeyoung, two college freshman who we undoubtedly smitten with each other. Dahyun stumbled across them one day when she arrived early for her shift to play with the puppies and kittens in the play pen. The two younger girls were screeching with joy and holding hands as they rolled a ball of yarn out across the room’s floor and watched the kittens chase after it. As soon as Dahyun entered, the pair gave her a warm welcome, and invited her to sit with them and throw the yarn a few times.

A few weeks ago, Dahyun had finally met Jeongyeon, the volunteer Nayeon couldn’t seem to stop talking about. She was much more striking than Nayeon had let on in the beginning. In fact, her beauty nearly made Dahyun drop the dog food bag she’d been holding. The other girl had waltzed into the storage room and stood behind Dahyun without her realizing it.

Just as Dahyun hefted a bag of unopened dog food up from the stockpile, Jeongyeon leered forward and yelled, “Yah!” Into her ear. Had Dahyun’s grip been a tiny bit looser, the bag would’ve no doubt fallen to the concrete floor and split open. “Oh my god!” Dahyun exclaimed, struggling with the weight of the bag. “Wh-who are you?”

 

“Jeongyeon!” Nayeon rushed in, a sour look on her sweet face. “Sorry about her,” Nayeon grimaced. She grabbed Jeongyeon by the collar of her shirt and began dragging her out of the closet. “She has this bad habit of pranking people. I’m working on it, though,” she said over her shoulder. Jeongyeon giggled as they went, throwing Dahyun a casual wave before disappearing from view. Dahyun hadn’t caught a glimpse of Jeongyeon since, and felt somewhat convinced that Nayeon had secretly murdered the other girl.

 As Dahyun raced back towards the shelter, she felt a spark of hope within her chest. A new volunteer. A new friend. A new beginning. She hoped that the new girl wasn’t anything like Jeongyeon with her incessant pranking. Dahyun had heard more than enough gossip to know that the pesky prankster provided more than enough excitement to every shared shift. Some of her past tricks sent a shiver down Dahyun’s spine.

Stepping through the automatic sliding doors of the shelter, Dahyun smiled in Jihyo’s direction. The older girl flashed her a grin from her post manning the front desk. “You’re back earlier than usual,” Jihyo comments casually, twirling a pen in between her fingers. One of her eyebrows flicks up in suspicion, and Dahyun feels her cheeks beginning to burn. “Yeah, they were really energetic today!” She covered, “There was this boy riding a bicycle and they wanted to chase him so we upped the pace a little more.”

A gentle smile eases over Jihyo’s face while the dogs circle Dahyun restlessly. “Alright then. Hope they weren’t too much of a hassle. Thanks for walking them, Dahyun-ah!” Dahyun dips her head in an nod and moves to towards the back of the shelter, where she’d unleash the dogs and put them back in their kennels.

“Oh, and Dahyun?”

Dahyun spun around on her heel, nearly knocking into a toy poodle in the process.

“Ah, yes? What’s up?”

Jihyo smiled at her and cupped her chin in her hand. Her dark brown eyes flashed beneath the fluorescent lights of the building. “The new girl, _Sana_ , is being trained in the kitten and puppy play pen right now.” She threw Dahyun a wink and it hit the younger girl like a pile of bricks. “But I think Mina’s let her be now. You know, just in case if you were wondering.”

 

**

 

After nearly ten minutes of sorting out leashes and dogs and kennels, Dahyun had finally succeeded in getting each dog back into their individual kennels. Before she left for the play pen, she refreshed every water bowl and gave each happy canine a treat and a good scratch behind the ears for being so well behaved on their walk.

As she went around to each kennel, Dahyun tried to give herself a pep talk to make her feel less nervous about meeting the new volunteer. The eight of them had a group chat, and this morning it was practically overflowing with messages complimenting the new girl’s beauty and kindness. But Dahyun hadn’t gotten the chance to look over the messages other than a quick glance before scribbling her name on the sign-in sheet.

She felt the prickle of nervousness as she finished petting the last of the dogs. Steeling herself, Dahyun waved goodbye to her canine friends and made her way out of the room. As she walked down the hallway leading towards the play pen, she noticed Chaeyoung and Tzuyu walking in the opposite direction, giggling to each other.

“Hey, guys!” Dahyun greeted them. “What’s up?”

“Dahyun-ah! We just met Sana!” Chaeyoung called, rushing forward to grasp the taller girl in a tight hug. Dahyun struggled to get free from her grip to no avail, Chaeyoung was surprisingly strong for someone who looked so adorable. “She’s so sweet! Right now she’s trying to find a kitten to adopt after her shift. Tzuyu and I have to go because we’ve still got homework to finish, but maybe you can help her out?”

Dahyun glanced at Tzuyu, who was standing behind Chaeyoung with a bemused expression. “Careful, Chae, you might crush Dahyun like that,” she said, chuckling at her girlfriend’s enthusiasm. Chaeyoung pouted, but released Dahyun from the hug, and instead wrapped her arms around Tzuyu’s waist. “Chae and I have to go, but I think you’ll have fun with Sana. She’s really, really nice. Everybody’s practically head over heels for her already.”

The couple snickered once more before giving Dahyun a knowing smile. “Bye, Dahyunnie!” The two chanted in unison before walking off and leaving Dahyun to her fate. For a moment, she turned her head to watch them go, the pair happily skipping off around the corner. When she was sure she was alone, Dahyun continued to make her way towards the door of the play pen.

She began to hear the gentle yapping of the puppies from inside, and peered through the glass of the door for any sight of the new volunteer. There was a sprawl of puppies and kittens across the turf floor, chasing and playing with each other as they romped around freely. Small chew toys were sprinkled here and there for them to wrestle with, as well as a line of water bowls in case if any of the cute animals needed a refresher before going back to playing again.

Dahyun’s mouth began to tug down into a frown as she scanned the room. So far, she hadn’t caught sight of the new girl and was starting to get this sinking feeling in her chest. Perhaps the other girls had been playing her all along? What if there really was no new volunteer? Was this another one of Jeongyeon’s pranks? Heaving a sigh, Dahyun gripped the doorknob. There was only one way to find out for sure.

With that, the girl swung the door open and stepped inside, shutting it securely behind her. All at once, a flood of puppies came tumbling towards her, fumbling on their paws and wagging their tails. Instantly, Dahyun dropped down to meet them with open arms, giggling at their enthusiasm to see her. Just as she as she scooped up a german shepard puppy from the floor and began petting it, a voice rang out from the middle of the room.

“Is that your favorite?”

 

Startled, Dahyun nearly dropped the puppy as she turned to face the new girl, heart racing. The german shepard puppy squirmed in her arms and reached up to lick at her chin as she fixed a smile on her face. The girls were right, Sana was an undeniably pretty girl. In fact, she was so pretty that almost hurt to look at her without Dahyun wondering how someone could be so entrancing.

Sana was wearing a white t-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and some beat up black sneakers. Her brown eyes flashed honey sweet, like twin pools of pure joy, and her smile was warm and welcoming. Everything about the girl seemed inviting, like Dahyun had been the person Sana had been waiting to see all day instead of just some random stranger she’d just met.

“Truthfully, they’re all my favorites. It’s hard to choose when they’re all so cute,” Dahyun replied easily, looking fondly down at the puppy. In the back of her mind, she wondered how she was even still standing after being in the presence of such an angelic girl. She stooped back down to put the puppy on the floor and walked over to where Sana was standing, holding a hand out. “Kim Dahyun. You must be Sana, right?”

Sana’s smile grew wider, showing off her perfectly straight white teeth. “That’s me,” she said, taking Dahyun’s hand in her own. “The girls have told me a lot about you, Dahyun. They said you’d be around. I think you’re the last one I’ve yet to meet.” She let her hand drop from Dahyun’s gracefully, and giggled cutely at her. Dahyun blushed at the sound.

“Someone told me you were looking for a kitten to adopt? Do you want some help with choosing?” Dahyun asked, sweeping a hand out to gesture over to where the kittens were chasing a ball of yarn. Sana looked at the tiny felines with a thoughtful expression. “I’d love some help! Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself while you help me look?” Sana suggests. She takes Dahyun’s arm and leads the other girl towards the kittens.

“That way we can still get to know each other a little better,” Sana says, stopping in front of a tabby kitten. “Sounds good to me,” Dahyun smiles, watching as Sana bends down to run a hand over the feline’s silky fur. “I’ll be around for the next hour and I’ve already gotten the rest of my chores done, might as well spend it trying to help as best I can.”

She stoops down next to Sana and the other girl turns to her, a heart aching smile splayed across her face. “Thanks, Dahyun, I really appreciate you helping me out,” Sana says, gently lifting the tabby up in one hand. “I’ve always wanted a kitten of my own and I finally got my own place, so now’s the perfect time!” She presses a kiss to the top of the kitten’s head and flashes another grin at Dahyun, who was trying not to die from the cuteness of it all. “This little guy and I look good together, am I right?” The girl teased, laughing.

Dahyun looked between the two of them with a bemused expression and a blush seemingly permanently fixed atop her cheeks. “The perfect match, I think.” Sana ruffles the kitten’s fur and Dahyun reaches a hand out to scratch its cheek. “I think so, too,” Sana murmurs quietly. “I’ve actually had my eye on this kitten for about a month or so.”

Dahyun flashes Sana a surprised look, her eyebrows flicking up slightly. “I was saving up enough money to get him a little bed and a litter box, things like that, first,” Sana explains with another grin, “That way I could have everything all ready for him to move in.” She lifts the tabby kitten up into the air and giggles at it playfully bats at her nose with its paw. “What’s his name?” Dahyun asks, feeling her heart soaring within her chest.

Sana looks around for a toy for the kitten to play with. “Jasper,” she says, reaching for a stray ball. “Tzuyu and Chaeyoung helped me pick it out earlier. He seems like the Jasper type.” Dahyun smiles as she watches Sana carefully roll the ball for Jasper to chase after. “I think it suits him perfectly,” she says, bumping Sana’s shoulder with her own as they watch Jasper toddle after it. Soon enough, they get too caught up with playing with Jasper to realize how much time had passed.

Dahyun glanced up at the clock and the smile faded from her face. “My shift ended twenty minutes ago,” she said, throwing Jasper the ball of yarn for the last time. “Oh my goodness, I completely forgot about the time. I’m sorry, Dahyun,” Sana says apologetically, running a hand through her hair. Dahyun laughs and shakes her head, “That’s alright, Sana. No worries! I enjoyed playing with Jasper and I’m glad you’re his new owner. You two are going to have a ton of fun together, I can already tell.”

She reaches over and gives Jasper one last scratch behind his ears. “Besides, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunities to get to know each other in the future.” She glances up to find Sana staring at her with an unreadable expression, her dark eyes flitting over Dahyun’s face. “How about tomorrow afternoon? Over some coffee, maybe?” Sana asks, her voice confident and even.

“Like...a date?” Dahyun nearly chokes, her cheeks aflame for the millionth time that day. Sana smiles cheekily at her. “If you’re into girls, then _absolutely_ yes, I would love to go out with you. But if you’re not, then we can get some platonic coffee, too!” Sana says enthusiastically, teasing Jasper with a string. Dahyun pauses for a moment, watching the pair, still wondering how someone could be so pretty. She only snaps out of it when Sana turns to look at her again, brown eyes silently questioning her.

“I’d love to!” Dahyun says, grinning. When Sana’s face lights up, Dahyun finds herself sputtering. “I mean, date, that is,” she mumbles, “Go on a date. With you. To have coffee. Tomorrow?” Sana throws back her head in a loud bout of laughter while Dahyun rubs the back of her neck, embarrassed at her nervous blubbering.

“Yes, tomorrow afternoon. We’ll get coffee and get to talk a little more. I’d love to get to know you better, Dahyun,” Sana affirms, scooping Jasper up in her arms. She offers a hand out for Dahyun to grasp onto and the younger girl pulls herself up from the ground. “How about I walk you out and you give me your phone number so I can text you about tomorrow?” Sana asks cheekily, leading them towards the door.

Dahyun reaches over and pats Jasper’s tiny head. “I think I’d be okay with that,” Dahyun jokes, following Sana out into the hall.

 

 


	7. Day VIII: First Meeting - Chuuves

Sooyoung’s the type of girl who shies away from meeting new people, despite how much she might want to socialize. It’s an odd predicament, to want to make friends yet not knowing how to go about it in the first place. Usually Sooyoung is left to her own devices, a loner in a crowded room, unsure of who to talk to or what to even talk about.

When she meets Jiwoo at an apartment party on campus at end of her sophomore year, for a split second, Sooyoung becomes convinced the other girl is a godsend. Perhaps the big man upstairs really had heard all the silent pleading she’d done for the past ten years of her life or so and had allowed Jiwoo to stumble her way into Sooyoung’s life by sheer chance. Perhaps there was still hope for Sooyoung’s awkward habits to be relearned.

Sooyoung was on her third mixed drink and had already consumed two and a half shots of vodka over the course of her arrival at Haseul’s party. She lay sprawled out across a surprisingly comfortable couch, red solo cup in hand with the word ‘Yves’ scrawled across it in purple sharpie. Other than Haseul, who’d invited her in the first place, no one had approached her, and she was grateful for that.

Tonight, she just felt like getting buzzed without having to worry about how to open up with people she knew she’d never see again nor had any desire to strike up a conversation with in the first place. Her head propped up on a puffy throw pillow, Sooyoung scrolled through Twitter on her phone and listened to the steady chatter of the partygoers around her, taking the occasional sip here and there from her cup.

Her bored expression was enough to stop anyone in their tracks from taking even one step towards her, and she relished in that. But all good things must come to an end.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” A girl’s voice cut through the dull party chatter and the heavy thump of the bass. Sooyoung let her phone fall flat on her chest as she looked up at whoever spoke to her. “What did you say?” Sooyoung slurs slightly, clumsily pushing herself up on one elbow. She blinked up at the girl with bleary eyes, barely making out the silhouette of the girl standing above her. A finger poked at one of Sooyoung’s legs.

“I said, is this seat taken?” The voice asks again, still as light and airy as before.

“I mean, I’m kind of sitting here,” Sooyoung grumbled, eyes narrowing at the figure standing in front of her. The girl merely gave Sooyoung a smile and waited, taking a sip from her own solo cup while surveying the room nonchalantly. Sensing that no amount of time would deter the girl, Sooyoung caved in after a moment or two.

“Alright, alright.” Sooyoung swung her legs off of the couch to make room for the girl. “Happy?” The girl flopped down on the cushions beside her and gave her a radiant smile. “Overjoyed. Anyways, I’m Jiwoo. What’s your name?” Sooyoung gave Jiwoo a long sidelong glance, noting the way she seemed to light up the air around her with her toothy grin and her bubbliness. “Sooyoung,” she replied, taking another swig from her mixed drink.

Sooyoung was teetering on the edge between pleasantly buzzed and something darker, more dangerous, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to cross that line now, especially when there was a pretty girl sitting next to her. “What year are you, Sooyoung?” Jiwoo asks, pestering her with more questions. Sooyoung turned to look at her fully, tearing her eyes away from the sight of a beer pong game unfolding in the den, and studied her.

A fringe of light brown bangs shrouded her forehead and threatened to cover her eyes. A pair of bright brown eyes with the pupils half blown gazed back at her, so clear that Sooyoung was certain if she leaned in a tiny bit more, she’d see herself reflected in them. Too drunk to care, Sooyoung allowed her gaze to wander a bit longer as she savored the girl’s question.

Jiwoo was wearing a baby blue button down shirt with a pair of blue jeans and white sneakers. A gold necklace dangled around her neck, disappearing from Sooyoung’s sight as it dipped beneath the shirt’s collar. She was cute, Sooyoung decided. Prettier than most of the girls who were hanging around. Despite the noise from the rest of the partygoers and the blasting music, Sooyoung still heard it when Jiwoo coughed a moment later, politely signaling Sooyoung to stop staring near her chest. A blush threatened to bloom across her cheeks, and Sooyoung looked away quickly. “I’m a sophomore this year. You?”

Sooyoung felt the telltale prickle of nervousness near the back of her neck as she finished speaking. Instinctively, she took another sip of her drink, trying to get back to that buzzed feeling again. Even when she was loose, she felt stressed while talking to someone new. The thought made her even more disappointed in herself for shying away, and just as she was about to lose herself in a wave of self-pitying, Jiwoo spoke up again.

“I’m graduating high school this summer! I don’t actually go here.”

That got Sooyoung’s attention.

“Oh? What brings you here?” She asked. Sooyoung was positively intrigued by this pretty girl with the bright brown eyes who didn’t seem to mind how rusty her conversationalist skills were. Jiwoo looked like the kind of girl who hadn’t lost sight of the luster of the world yet and she didn’t seem like the rest of the kids at Blockberry.

Sooyoung had seen far too many of the same stereotypical sorority girls or the pot headed junkies lingering around to even be interested in starting conversation at parties like this. But Jiwoo had something they didn’t, a spark that drew Sooyoung in like a moth to flame like no one else had done before.

“I live nearly all the way across town, you probably wouldn’t know it,” Jiwoo said, fidgeting cutely with her cup. “Blockberry University’s always been my dream school and I know a friend or two here, so they decided to bring me over and show me what campus is like this weekend. Too bad they all forgot about me after a couple of drinks.”

Jiwoo tossed a look over her shoulder and Sooyoung followed her line of sight to a pair of blondes chatting rather closely with each other. After a closer look, Sooyoung recognizes one of the girls from her statistics class last semester. She thought for a moment, trying to grasp at the girl’s name, but came up empty other than a few scattered memories of her coming into their class late.

“Some friends, huh?” Sooyoung chuckled, shaking her head. She looked away right before the taller blonde leaned in for a kiss. Jiwoo shook her head and sighed, “They’re great, actually. It’s just that Jinsoul and Jungeun don’t really get to see each other during the week so they, you know. Want to spend more time together. It’s understandable for them, they’ve been dating for two years or so now and Jungeun still goes to high school with me. We’re both trying to get into Blockberry next semester.”

Sooyoung’s eyebrows flick up, and she nods her head in understanding. She crans her neck back around to watch as Jinsoul and Jungeun begin laughing over something Sooyoung couldn’t quite make out over the thumping of the music. But they were happy, she could tell that much. There was an easiness about the two lovers that was rare enough for her to see it. “Two years? And long distance, at that? Must be difficult for them,” Sooyoung mumbles, half to herself and half to Jiwoo.

The two girls are silent for a moment, watching as Jinsoul leans in and presses a gentle kiss to Jungeun’s cheek. “They look so happy together. Truly. I hope you both make it next year,” Sooyoung says, tipping up her solo cup in a toast. Jiwoo gives her a breathless smile and tips her cup against Sooyoung’s. Her eyes glitter in the strobe lights Sooyoung had helped Haseul set up earlier.

“Thanks. Jungeun and I are both pretty sure we can make it, but you never know…,” Jiwoo trails off, frowning. Sooyoung thinks the younger girl’s still pretty, even with her lips turned down and her eyes far away as they stare into the contents of her cup. “I couldn’t imagine what would happen if only one of us made it and the other didn’t.” Sooyoung downs the rest of her drink and tries to smile to lift the mood.

She knows what it’s like to be in Jiwoo’s shoes, to feel the lingering weight of college entrance exams and graduation on your shoulders. “There’s always transferring if it doesn’t work out. Nothing wrong with a little community college to get all your credits first. I wish I’d done that sometimes,” she says, playfully nudging Jiwoo’s shoulder with her own. The younger girl sighs and shakes her head, “You’re right...sorry for being such a downer.” She throws back her head and laughs while Sooyoung looks on, eyebrows furrowed with concern.

“Here I am, opening myself up to a stranger at nearly two o’clock in the morning,” Jiwoo shakes her head and rests her chin in her hand. By now, Sooyoung’s buzz has worn off and she’s starting to feel more sober. That was her cue to get another drink. Slowly, she pushes herself up off the couch and holds out a hand for Jiwoo. “Want to get another drink? It might make you feel better,” Sooyoung offers. “I’ve got one hell of a final coming up so lord knows I need another.”

Jiwoo blinks up at her with her big brown eyes and Sooyoung nearly drowns in them. “You’ve let me talk your ear off and now you’re offering me a drink?” Jiwoo asks, astounded. She looks almost lost sitting there on the couch with her eyes peering up at Sooyoung, her tiny hands curled around the red of her cup. “Yeah, why not?” Sooyoung asks, jingling her own empty cup in the air. “I think it’s safe to say we both need more than one drink tonight.”

Jiwoo bites her lip, still unsure of herself. “I don’t want to be too much of a bother,” the high schooler mumbles, toying with her drink, “Besides, this is really just sprite. I was too chicken to mix in any vodka or anything.” A hand gently encircles her wrist and tugs her up from the couch. “You’re not being a bother at all,” Sooyoung reassures her. “This is actually maybe the best time I’ve had at a party since I started going to these. And about your drink...we’ve got to fix that,” Sooyoung vows, giving her a lopsided smile while interlocking their fingers.

She leads them in the general direction of the kitchen, weaving a path through other college kids milling about and chatting with each other. When the kitchen counter comes into sight, riddled with half empty liquor bottles and torn cardboard boxes of beer, Sooyoung lets go of Jiwoo’s hand to rummage through the contraband. There’s a burning in the palms of her hands at the loss of the other girl’s warmth, but she’s too focused on her mission to recognize it.

Jiwoo watches, stifling a giggle, as Sooyoung paws through the collection of booze. A few stragglers come in and fix themselves more ice from the fridge or top off their Hawaiian punches, barely batting an eye in their direction. “What would you like to try first?” Sooyoung asks a few moments later, holding up two oversized liquor bottles to the kitchen light. There’s a wicked grin on her face as she whirls around to face Jiwoo. “Vodka or Tequila?”

 

**

 

The sun falls across Sooyoung’s face, searing her back into reality again. She jerks up from the bed she’d been passed out on and takes a quick look around, trying to figure out where she was and what she’d done the night before. A headache is quick to claim her, rapping mercilessly on her skull, and she groans in pain.

With bleary, half-opened eyes, Sooyoung squints around enough to come to the conclusion that she’s back home at her apartment, safe and sound in spite of a rather large hangover. She’s still wearing the clothes she had on the night before, and she spots a smudge of mascara on her pillowcase, but other than that, she seems still put together.

Realizing she’s still blinding herself with the sun, Sooyoung jerks up from the bed to close the blinds of the windows. When she clumsily whirls around, she spots an unopened bottle of water and an aspirin waiting for her on her bed stand. If there’s one thing she’s sure of from last night, it’s that she certainly didn’t put that out...so who did?

Her heartbeat began to pick back up again as she tried to remember something, anything, from last night. Slumping back on her bed, Sooyoung scoops up the aspirin and quickly downs it, straining to come up with any semblance of memory. The last thing she could recall was offering Jiwoo something stronger to drink and then...Sooyoung nearly swallows her water the wrong way.

Visions of her and Jiwoo stumbling and giggling along the sidewalks of Blockberry University and nearly falling up the stairs to her apartment complex filled her mind. She remembered the way Jiwoo looked at her as she fumbled with her keys, the younger girl leaning against the doorframe with her eyes half-lidded and her lips parted in a bemused smile.

She remembered cheering Jiwoo on as she downed her second shot of vodka, standing beside her with the chaser ready. There had been a whirl of strobe lights and dancing, smiles so wide they nearly split Sooyoung’s face in two, and then thirty minutes later, they were on their way to Sooyoung’s place to spend the night. Jungeun had disappeared completely by then, and Sooyoung didn’t have the heart to turn the younger girl away.

Capping the water bottle, Sooyoung heaved herself up off of her bed and made her way into the kitchen to whip herself up a hangover cure. A scrap of notebook paper was taped to her fridge door, fluttering beneath the gentle whirring of the overhead fan. With her head still pounding, Sooyoung snatched it up and poured over the words.

Good morning, Sooyoung! Sooyoung could almost hear Jiwoo’s voice as she read the handwritten scrawl of the younger girl. I left some aspirin and water bottle by your bed when you wake up. Sorry I couldn’t stick around; my parents would’ve killed me if they figured out Jungeun helped me sneak out of the house. Anyways, I wanted to thank you for letting me vent and helping me let loose last night, I really needed it. Maybe I’ll see you around campus sometime so I can repay the favor!

After rereading the note twice, Sooyoung allowed a breath of a smile to cross her face. Tucking the note carefully into her pocket, Sooyoung set about fixing herself some breakfast. As she whipped up a few eggs, she found herself hoping Jiwoo would make it into Blockberry. She had been the first person Sooyoung had actually found interest in getting to know better.

The younger girl hadn’t been deterred by her seemingly intimidating nature at all. In fact, she’d rather successfully battered down the walls Sooyoung had built up over the years. Sooyoung chuckled to herself and chugged down a cup of coffee. If there was one thing she had to regret about that last night, it was forgetting to ask for Jiwoo’s number.

 

**

 

Sooyoung was well aware she should stop showing up to these college parties but she just can’t help herself. There was something calling her to them, beckoning her with the memory of Jiwoo’s big brown eyes and her twinkling smile, and she couldn’t find it within herself stay away. Not when there was the slimmest of chances Jiwoo could be there, lurking in some obscure corner of the room, awkwardly hanging out while Jungeun and Jinsoul unwound together.

With that image of Jiwoo in mind, Sooyoung sidled up to Haseul’s apartment for an end of the semester-summer bash. She’d taken her last final a week ago and felt good about all of them. She was on track to graduate, maybe even a semester early, if she was smart enough about her course choices next year. In a few days, she’d be heading back home to visit her family for two weeks or so, then she’d be back in Seoul, working part-time to make rent. And more than anything, Sooyoung needed a drink and a friend to celebrate the end of another semester with.

After she climbed up the varnished wooden steps to Haseul’s door, she pressed the doorbell and let the warm summer air wash over her for a moment longer. A second or two passed, and then she heard the shuffling of slippers against hardwood. The door opened a crack, and an eye peeked out at her suspiciously, then the door swung wide open.

“Sooyoung!” Kahei said, pleasantly surprised at her appearance. There was a brilliant smile across her face and her eyes were warm and crinkled up into half crescents. She stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Sooyoung’s shoulders in a hug. “You came! And you brought some booze, too!” Sooyoung smiled into the shorter girl’s shoulder. “I figured I’d help you guys with the set up before everyone else started to come around.” She chuckled when Kahei let go and stood there, sizing her up. “Everything go well with your organic chemistry final?” Kahei asked, leading her into the foyer and shutting the door behind them.

“I’m pretty sure, but then again, there have been times where I’ve felt confident about a test only to have flunked it in the end,” Sooyoung said, kicking off her shoes and setting them by the door. Kahei merely smiled sweetly at her and hooked their arms together, “You’ve been doing really well in your classes lately. I’m positive you did more than just pass.” Before Sooyoung could sheepishly accept the older girl’s compliment, a voice piped up.

“Is that Sooyoung I hear?” Haseul called out from the kitchen as Kahei led her further into the apartment. They padded into the kitchen and Sooyoung set her gift, a large bottle of Smirnoff, next to rest of the liquor stash. Haseul turned from her place at the stove with a giant grin, where she was cooking a batch of appetizers for the party.

“Yep,” Sooyoung replied, returning Haseul’s smile. She opens her arms for Haseul’s hug and squeezes her lightly, as if testing she were really there. “What’s cooking?” Haseul pulled away to jab at the frying pan with a wooden spatula while Kahei went back to setting up for the party. “Just a little stir fry recipe,” Haseul replied, “This place is supposed to be packed tonight so I’m making Kahei and I some dinner so we can keep our heads straight longer than usual.”

Sooyoung hummed in response and leaned her hip on the counter, watching Haseul cook and listening to Kahei in the room over spreading out table cloths and setting up the beer pong table. “You want some? I always make too much,” Haseul offers, glancing at Sooyoung. “It’s almost ready and I’ve been told by Kahei herself that my stir fry is so good that it can grant wishes.”

Sooyoung’s stomach gurgles in response, and the two college students smile at each other. “Plates are in the cabinet to your left,” Haseul says, then turns back to her cooking. Sheepishly, Sooyoung breaks out three plates and watches Haseul dole out portions of the stir fry, then scoops of rice. “Sweetie, food’s up!” Haseul called out, smiling when Kahei raced around the corner and into the kitchen again. She set down a plate in front of the older girl and pressed a gentle kiss against the curve of Kahei’s cheekbone.

Sooyoung trailed over to the kitchen counter where they were standing and picked up her fork. Dinner was a quiet, quick affair. The three of them spent it mostly in a comfortable silence. Sooyoung had made sure to arrive forty-five minutes early to ensure it’d just be the three of them for the pre-party preparations, so that there weren’t any interruptions from other college kids looking to get slammed. When the three of them had finished, Sooyoung helped load the dishes into the dishwasher while Haseul strung streamers around the kitchen.

“I’m glad you’ve been opening up more,” Haseul speaks up finally, watching as Kahei begins rearranging the decorations for the living room. She’s fishing around in a box of streamers while Sooyoung helps display the line of snacks on the kitchen counter. “Kahei and I can both tell you’ve been happier lately. You don’t hesitate as much around us. I know how difficult it is for you to do so, and I just want to say that I’m proud of you.”

“I met someone a while back,” Sooyoung confesses, unable to stop from smiling. She straightens from leaning over the counter and walks over to help hold a streamer in place for the shorter girl. “I guess you could say she made me start to think a little differently about things.” Haseul’s smile grows as she finishes pinning the last streamer. “I think this calls for a toast. When can we meet her?” She asks, breaking out two shot glasses from one of the kitchen cabinets. Sooyoung’s smile fades a little bit while Haseul pours tequila into the glasses.

“Well, that’s the thing - I’m not sure if I’ll ever get to see her again.” Sooyoung’s cheeks flare up in embarrassment. “We didn’t even…kiss or anything, but I know I felt something. We were too drunk and I didn’t want her to drive so I let her stay over at my apartment for the night. We met at one of your party’s a while back. I didn’t get her number, though, and she was gone in the morning. She’s a senior, probably graduated by now. Her and her best friend are trying to get into Blockberry next semester. What if they don’t make it in?”

“Well, you never know,” Haseul shrugs and turns to rummage around in the fridge for a chaser while Sooyoung grips her shot glass. “Life has this crazy way of working itself out and stranger things have happened. I met Kahei because she almost ran me over with her car our freshman year, remember?” She returns with the pineapple juice and grabs a pair of red solo cups to pour it into, then clinks her shot glass with Sooyoung’s.

 The two girls then tap their glasses on the kitchen counter and throw the liquor back. “Maybe you’ll see that girl tonight, even, if you say that this was where you last saw her,” Haseul says, face scrunching up from the taste. She quickly downs her chaser and breathes a sigh of relief. “If this was the place where it started, maybe this is where it can end, too. Like a perfect loop. You and her. Here and now. Wouldn’t that be something?”

Kahei calls Haseul’s name from the living room and Haseul sets down her cup. “Be right there!” Haseul yelled back, then placed a hand on Sooyoung’s arm. “Anything can happen tonight, Sooyoung. Maybe even the impossible. Did I think I was going to get half-run over by my future girlfriend? No way! But it sure did happen like that.” The two of them share a laugh and Haseul squeezes her arm gently.

 “Don’t lose sight of that hope. If you felt what you thought you did, there’s a good chance that she felt it too,” the shorter girl said, flashing her one last smile before she turned the corner to where Kahei was waiting for her. Sooyoung let out a heavy sigh and went back to rearranging the snack array. Twenty minutes till people started ringing the doorbell and Sooyoung was planning on searching the whole night for Jiwoo, if she had to. But if the way she was feeling now was any indication, perhaps Sooyoung wouldn’t have to look for long.

 

**

 

Sooyoung lay sprawled across Haseul’s couch in the living room, scrolling through her Instagram feed and seeing all the photographs of parties that looked just like the one she was at. It was nearly midnight now, and the party had been in full swing two hours ago. An unsettled sort of feeling had begun sprouting within her chest. She hadn’t caught a single sign of Jiwoo anywhere. There hadn’t even been a single flash of bleach blond hair in the room.

Perhaps Jiwoo was on vacation? Or had she been grounded by her parents? From the way Jiwoo had talked about them, it seemed they were rather strict on her. Sooyoung sighed as she kept trying to debunk reasons why Jiwoo hadn’t been around lately. Her thumb went on autopilot, liking random posts while she thought about Jiwoo and tilted her cup back, her third of the night.

Though her mind was somewhere else, somewhere beyond the party, her wits were still about her. She wasn’t nearly as drunk as she typically got when she wanted to let loose because she had wanted to keep an eye out for Jiwoo, but she was getting around to getting more than just pleasantly buzzed. A few guys had come over to try and chat her up since she broke out her phone, three out of the five of them had used as an icebreaker, but she turned them all away. She hadn’t been interested in anyone else since she met Jiwoo.

As she got up from the couch to head back to the kitchen to refill her cup, Sooyoung wondered if she’d ever find someone who would spark up her heart again. It’s been difficult to make genuine connections with the people around her. She makes friends in her classes, but by the time the next semester rolls around, the friendships have come and gone. It’s like no one’s interested in something tangible, a relationship with substance.

She’s lucky to have met Haseul and Kahei during orientation and have taken a class or two with them by coincidence. They were her two best friends, maybe her only real friends in Seoul. If only it were easier for her to open up to people, she sighed. Haseul had been right, she had been more outgoing than usual, more talkative in class, more upbeat as the semester came to a close. But Sooyoung was starting to lose hope she’d ever see Jiwoo again, and it was dampening her mood.

She set her cup on the kitchen counter and had just begun to browse through her options when a hand came to rest over the Smirnoff bottle she’d been eyeing.

“Pour one for me, too, would you?” Jiwoo asks, tilting her head at the way Sooyoung whipped around to look at her. The younger girl was wearing a plain white T-shirt tucked into a pair of black denim jean shorts and a wide grin across her face. In her hand, she held an outstretched red solo cup with her name scrawled across the top of it. Coming back to her senses, Sooyoung smiled breathlessly and poured both herself and Jiwoo a stiff drink.

“Hawaiian punch or cranberry juice?” She asks, trying to maintain her air of aloofness despite the way her heart was practically racing out of her chest. Her fingers shake slightly as she reaches for the two bottles. “Cranberry, please. The Hawaiian’s way too sugary. Last time it even turned my teeth red, remember?” Jiwoo chuckles, shaking her head at the memory. “You had to lend me your toothbrush so I could get it all out.”

Sooyoung laughs and pours them both an ample amount of cranberry juice. “I recall something like that happening, yeah. Except it was more like I stumbled into the bathroom and you were already using my tooth brush without asking,” she teases. Jiwoo blushes and takes a sip of her drink without wincing, and a sense of pride fills Sooyoung. “Good, huh?” The college girl asks, trying to break the ice that had formed between them since their last meeting.

She tips her own cup back and Jiwoo simply nods in response, leaning her hip against the countertop. “Cranberry’s actually my favorite juice for mixed drinks. Makes everything crisp,” Sooyoung continues, suddenly unsure of what to say. She’d envisioned meeting Jiwoo again perhaps a thousand times, going over what she’d say and how she’d act, but now that the younger girl stood before her, everything Sooyoung had planned had evaporated into thin air.

“How’ve you been?” Sooyoung settles for, trying to relax herself back into the low buzz of tipsiness. Being face to face with the high schooler had shocked her sober again, and she took another calculated sip of her drink as she waited for Jiwoo’s response. “I graduated last weekend,” Jiwoo says, eyes twinkling with pride. Her whole body seemed so filled with excitement that she could leap up and touch the ceiling if she wanted to. “And guess what, Sooyoung?”

Feeling her heart begin to soar upwards, Sooyoung fought to keep her expectations low. “What?” She asked eagerly, leaning forward slightly so she could capture every word. Jiwoo glanced around the room and once she deemed the coast was clear, learned in so that her nose almost brushed Sooyoung’s. “I made it,” Jiwoo whispered. Her breath fanned across Sooyoung’s face, the bittersweet scent of alcohol and cranberry lingering in the air.

It was then that Sooyoung noticed how pretty Jiwoo’s lips were when they curled up into a smile. Jiwoo’s hand came to rest just above the crook of her arm, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Sooyoung, I’ve been accepted into Blockberry!” Jiwoo exclaimed excitedly, bouncing back and forth on the balls of her feet. “Oh my god!” Sooyoung sputters. “That’s incredible, Jiwoo! Congratulations! You did it!” She sets down her drink on the counter and pulls the shorter girl in for a hug, relief flooding her entire body.

“And Jungeun, too! Next summer we’ll be moving into the dorms and everything,” Jiwoo continues, her voice muffled in the fabric of Sooyoung’s shirt. They pull away after a moment and stand staring at each other, smiles nearly splitting their faces in two. “I’m so proud of you,” Sooyoung says, heart hammering in time with the hip hop track playing in the living room. Sooyoung feels that electric charge between them, growing stronger by the second.

She thinks about leaning in and completing the circle of her and Jiwoo’s fate, but the younger girl beats her to it. It’s a soft and gentle, timid in the most adorable of ways that Sooyoung’s ever been kissed, and just so...Jiwoo. A hand wraps around the back of Sooyoung’s neck and tugs her closer, causing her hand coming in contact with the swell of Jiwoo’s hip as their bodies collide. Jiwoo’s the first to pull away, both her arms lingering over Sooyoung’s shoulders, staying close enough for Sooyoung to feel her breath fanning against her face.

Sooyoung keeps her eyes closed for a second longer, trying her best not to let her giddiness get a hold of her. “What was that for?” She asks softly, eyelids fluttering open. She leans down until her forehead touches Jiwoo’s, waiting for her reply. “For taking me home last time,” Jiwoo blushes, eyes flickering up and down between Sooyoung’s lips and her eyes. Sooyoung’s eyebrows flick up, then she bows her head and connects their lips in another sweet kiss. Then a second, and a third, until she can’t hold her breath any longer.

“How about we go home right now?” Sooyoung offers quietly when they part, draining her cup and setting it down on the counter. Jiwoo doesn’t hesitate to follow suit, hastily gulping down the rest of her Vodka cranberry drink. The second she sets her cup down beside Sooyoung’s, the older girl links their hands together and leads them out of the kitchen and towards the front door. It’s so much like the last time they were together that Haseul’s encouraging speech rings in her mind like the sound of a bell, high above the roar of the stereo.

A perfect loop. Her and Jiwoo. In this apartment, in this city, here and now, where it all began and where it all would end. As she and Jiwoo raced down the steps of Haseul’s complex and walked out into the night, she squeezed Jiwoo’s hand. It should’ve scared her how familiar it felt already, to know that Jiwoo was hers and she was Jiwoo’s, but it didn’t. Perhaps it would never scare her how she and Jiwoo were destined to be.


	8. Day IX: Wedding - Lipsoul

Jungeun never thought Jinsoul would be the one that got away. Not when she broke up with the older girl in college, thinking that Jinsoul graduating earlier and moving away would put too much of a strain on their relationship. She didn’t think it when she saw Jinsoul almost a year later, after the older girl had graduated, at Jiwoo’s birthday party.

There’d been a few electrically charged glances across the room, a relapse in feelings that hadn’t quite been buried away yet, and Jungeun found herself pressed up against the wall of the bathroom with Jinsoul’s mouth latched onto her neck. When the next morning came, Jungeun found herself alone in her apartment, still feeling the ghost of Jinsoul’s lips across her skin and sensing a whisper of her perfume from the pillows.

And Jungeun certainly hadn’t thought it up until now. Here she was, standing front and center in the chapel pews, watching the love of her life marry someone else. Typical. The heart always wants what it can’t have. You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. There’s many different ways to coin the phrase: you fucked up and you should’ve known better. Jungeun knows. She’s heard it all before, from friends and family and snarky Tumblr quotes on the internet.

She just never thought it would happen to her. She thought she’d been doing the right thing, the careful thing, by pushing Jinsoul away. Back then, she figured that Jinsoul would wait for her, that Jinsoul would still care about her. How wrong she had been. This wasn’t some kind of movie, this was real life. People don’t know exactly how you feel unless if you tell them, and Jungeun had neglected to mention that she was still in love with Jinsoul. Even if she had, it probably would’ve been too late for her to do anything about it.

It’s an odd thing, Jungeun knows, to still be so intertwined with your ex-girlfriend. But that was the way their friend group worked, some kind of circle you couldn’t break free of. So they remained distant but friendly acquaintances who pretended not to know each other when the rest of their friends freely conversed during the rare moments they hung out together. It worked for a bit. Until he started showing up as Jinsoul’s plus one.

His first name was Hansol and his middle name was Handsome. That much, Jungeun had to give to him. He was tall and had curly dark brown hair that hung over his eyes in that dreamy way every girl swoons over. At first, Jungeun hated his guts. He was suave and charming, like he’d walked straight out of a movie scene and had replaced Jungeun as the new lead romantic interest of Jinsoul’s life. But then she got to know the guy, and somehow, he worked his magic on her, too.

Then again, back when Hansol and Jinsoul first started dating, Jungeun was convinced it wouldn’t last long. She was still in denial, still thought she had some kind of place in Jinsoul’s heart that hadn’t been filled over quite yet. When she’s alone in her apartment and had one too many drinks out with the girls, Jungeun wonders when she’d stop messing everything up. The wedding invitation made everything ten times worse.

Two years had gone by in the blink of an eye, and when that gilded envelope fell through her mail slot and slid onto the floor, Jungeun felt like everything froze in place. Her hand reached for it, fingers trembling as she traced Jinsoul’s handwriting. There was only one thing that it could be. She’d heard the rumors of an engagement, but she’d been out of Seoul for the past two months on a business trip in Tokyo. Work kept her too busy to call and confirm anything, and the invitation came like a slap in the face.

It was then that Jungeun realized she was just a lonely twenty-three year old working herself half to death, and as she read the invitation, she knew she had lost the love of her life. Haseul showed up to her doorstep a couple days later, probably after receiving her own wedding invitation. The older woman was holding a plastic bag of takeout and a bottle of wine when Jungeun answered the door, wearing the same rumpled clothes she’d been wearing the day she opened her invitation.

There were bags hanging beneath her eyes and Jungeun knew she must’ve looked like some kind of shipwreck victim, but Haseul just wordlessly set her stuff on the counter and pulled her in for a hug. Jungeun wasn’t sure how long they stood there in the foyer, with Haseul letting her sob into her shoulder, rocking her back and forth slowly. When no more tears would come, Haseul led Jungeun into the kitchen and laid the takeout boxes and paper plates out.

The scent of the food made Jungeun’s mouth water. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d had a proper meal. The days had blurred into one singular moment in time, too alike to even begin to try and differentiate. The moment her plate was set down in front of her, Jungeun’s mind shut off and she began to shovel the piping hot food into her mouth. Kahei arrived twenty minutes, later, just when Haseul was clearing the dishes and she was climbing into the shower.

While Jungeun dried her hair and picked out some pajamas, Jiwoo and Sooyoung arrived. By the time she stepped out of her bedroom, over half of her friends were standing in the midst of her living room. From the amount of takeout, chocolates, and alcohol, Jungeun came to the conclusion that none of them had contact with each other before they came over. It was like each one of them secretly knew, had a hunch that they never asked about because they didn’t want to breach such a sensitive topic, until they knew that she needed them.

All ten of them, crowded in her tiny studio apartment. They’ll all probably be sleeping on the floor of her living room if they stayed, but none of them seem to mind. Jungeun hadn’t felt so loved, so touched before in her life. Jungeun settled herself on her sofa, sandwiched between Jiwoo and Heejin, looking at how the rest of her friends were scattered across the furniture. Sooyoung blinked up at her, propped up against Jiwoo’s knees.

“You don’t have to go, you know,” Haseul begins, looking around the room to watch their friends nod in agreement. She’s always been the mom of the group, and she wasn’t about to stop now, not even when all of them were well into their twenties. It’s endearing, the way she pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose and clasps her hands together. Still, Jungeun stares down at her fingernails, trying to be interested in the way her cuticles look rather than the topic at hand.

It’s difficult to talk about all of this without feeling the red hot burn of shame, knowing there was a possibility she could have avoided all of this in the past. If only she hadn’t been so afraid, if only she hadn’t broken up with Jinsoul in the first place. In some ways, it’s even more difficult now that Jungeun knows her act was completely see-through, that everyone but Jinsoul knew she was still in love. Thinking about everyone always knowing made her feel even worse for not saying anything or sorting out her feelings properly.

“It’s not like you’re obligated to go,” Kahei chimes in. She’s sitting beside Haseul with their fingers and shoulders brushing together. A happy couple of nearly four years. The epitome of what every person strove for in their love life. “We all know how swamped you’ve been at Blockberry,” she continues. “They’ve had you flying all over the globe for business, for Christ’s sake. You just got back from Japan last week.” Everyone nods, and Jungeun finds herself bobbing along with them.

“Jungeun, you’ve been to nearly five countries within this past year,” Hyunjin says, her soothing voice washing over her like a gentle wave on the beach. Beside her, Heejin looks up at her with adoring eyes. Another happy couple. “No one here is questioning your ability to work...but we all know how you feel about Jinsoul. Or, at least we’ve got a pretty good idea,” the young woman says, “What about a vacation? If you don’t want to see her marry...him.”

“You’ve always talked about how you want to visit Los Angeles!” Yeojin pipes up. A fond smile tugs at Jungeun’s lips as the youngest of them speaks. She’d forgotten how much Yeojin had grown up since she graduated and started working. It’s funny the way time and distance can do that to a person, make them the same age in your head until you see them again and realize how much has changed since you were gone. Yeojin looked so grown up, a twenty year old sophomore nearing her junior year of college.

Jungeun felt guilty for not keeping up with her as much as she should’ve over the past year or so. She didn’t even know Yeojin’s major. Business? Or Sustainability? Something along the blurred lines of Jungeun’s mind. “It’d be a completely different change of pace,” Yeojin reasoned, her voice drawing Jungeun from her self-loathing. “They’re thirteen hours behind us, right? It’s halfway around the world, even! You could soak in the Californian sun for a week or two and forget about everything for a while.”

Ten pairs of eyes settle on Jungeun for her reaction, gauging whether or not the blonde haired woman took to any of their suggestions. A heavy tension filled the room as each of her friends tried to decipher what Jungeun was thinking and feeling in the moment. Finally, after what seemed like half a century, Jungeun sighed. “What if I want to go to her wedding after all?” She murmurs, fidgeting with her fingers. “Even after everything. I think that being there in person would really help cement that things are over between Jinsoul and I. Right?”

Her pleading eyes shift from face to face, watching as surprise flits over each expression. “I mean, that’s how I see it. Sure, it’ll hurt like hell, but it’d be one hell of a way to rip the Band-Aid off, don’t you think?” The gilded envelope lies face down on her coffee table, and Jungeun snatches it up and looks over it again. She had a little under three months to prepare herself for Jinsoul’s wedding. More than enough time to go through the motions of getting over the love of your life, right?

“You’re sure about this?” Jiwoo begins cautiously, skeptical of Jungeun’s wishes. Her face scrunches up in the way it always does when she’s confused, and for a split second, Jungeun sees the Jiwoo she went to high school with, still young and vibrant as she is now, but holding less of the weight of the world on her shoulders. “Maybe it’d be best if you thought everything over for at least a week or so before you decide for certain,” Sooyoung adds, as skeptical as her girlfriend. “This is a pretty big jump to make so soon.”

“I’ll sleep on it for sure,” Jungeun jokes, trying to lighten the heavy mood that had settled over the room. All of them, together again, but under such sad circumstances. Perhaps in a different life, they’d be meeting for happier reasons. A life where Jungeun hadn’t gotten scared of the future and pushed Jinsoul away, a future where Jungeun spent the rest of her life by Jinsoul’s side. She hung her head low, staring down at the grain of the wood floor. “No, I’ll think about it,” she says, lifting her eyes again. Her words felt solid, resolute.

She would watch Jinsoul marry Hansol like the good friend she is. She would drink the wine and feast on the appetizers, dance in a corner of the room after the ceremony, and she would be happy. Because that’s what Jinsoul deserved on her big day - happiness. Not even Jungeun’s own personal happiness came first. “Thank you, guys, for all coming over,” Jungeun says, her voice hollow and far away as she spoke. Her eyes were glazed over with some kind of crystal vision of her and Jinsoul, happy in another lifetime.

Everyone watched her, silently knowing and sorrowful along with her. A pang resonated from her chest, causing her to wince. “I appreciate you guys being here for me right now,” she mumbled, feeling another wave of self-pity crashing over her. “I know how busy we all are. Sorry...I guess I’m kind of the fuck up of the group, aren’t I?” She snickers underneath her breath as soon as she’s said it and the rest of the girls join her in a quiet murmur of grinning and giggling.

They know her well enough to know she’s joking, though her underlying tone is serious. “Alright, I think I’ve had enough crying to last me for the next twenty-four hours. Anyone up for some desert?” Jungeun asks, wiping her nose on the back of her sleeve. She stands and makes her way towards the fridge, Hyejoo and Chaewon hot on her heels. “I think we’ve got enough ice cream here to feed an army of heartbreaks,” she calls over her shoulder. “Who wants what?”

 

**

 

It’s barely past one o’clock in the morning when the ten of them finally feel tired enough to settle down for the night. Jungeun’s sides hurt from laughing too much, and both her cheeks are sore from the amount of smiling she’s done since the ten girls arrived at her apartment. She made sure to pass out enough blankets and pillows for everyone and watched, her heart swelling, as they all curled up on the living room floor and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Her friends had all ensured she was distracted enough to barely remember Jinsoul’s wedding, catching each other up on their lives and cracking jokes about the past. It was only when her bedroom door clicked shut behind her and she began to change into her pajamas that reality it her once more. After she went through the motions of scrubbing her skin free of makeup, washing her face, brushing her teeth, flossing, moisturizing, Jungeun sat down at the edge of her bed and stared at the blank canvas of her bedroom wall.

She was too tired to begin crying again, to begin pitying herself. Jungeun slumped backwards and lay staring up at her ceiling. Her whole body flooded with a hollow, sorrowful feeling that began to spread slowly from the pit of her heart and outwards, like everything Jungeun ever was and ever had been had been taken from her. Now she was just this empty husk of a woman, left grasping for what the past had held for her but could no longer give her.

Creeping underneath the covers, Jungeun forced all the negative thoughts from her brain. She reached over to shut off the lights and when the darkness settled over her, she got the idea. Perhaps it wasn’t the brightest or the best, but it was something for her to cling onto, and so she did. And as she drifted off to sleep, she found herself sinking into that idea within a dream.

In her dream, Jungeun sat in the front pew of a church. Everything was decked out in a theme of white and blue. There was pastel, powder blue bushels of hydrangeas and cornflowers arranged all along the apse of the church. The interior of the church itself was immaculate, a shade of pure snow so brilliant it almost hurt for Jungeun to look around. Even the guests were donning strange blue and white costumes, as if she’d stepped onto the set of a futuristic drama set in a dystopian world and they were about to blast off into space.

An organ began to play from the back of the church, cuing everyone to spin on their heels in unison. Following suit, Jungeun gulped as she watched Jinsoul and Hansol making their way down the aisle. Her wedding dress was of the richest blue, like someone had taken a chunk of a midsummer’s ocean and formed it into a dazzling gown fit for a fairy princess. Hansol’s suit was of the finest white, so bright that Jungeun couldn’t stand to look at him. Not that she would have looked anyways, she was more focused on how beautiful Jinsoul was.

With the older woman’s hair down in gentle, flowing waves of ash blonde, rouge coloring her lips, and blue eyeshadow framing her soulful eyes, Jinsoul looked everything like a goddess of cerulean peace. Her sweeping gaze fell on Jungeun after a moment or two, and Jungeun felt a shock of electricity rush down her spine. There was something about Jinsoul’s look that made her heart freeze over with dread. There was an emptiness to Jinsoul’s eyes, like she was cold and empty, pleading for Jungeun to free her from her fate.

As the couple made their way towards the altar, the crowd turned in unison once more in their odd robotic trance, shuffling from foot to foot until they were all facing the front.

 

 

 

Jungeun felt herself stand up but almost wasn’t aware it, as if she were watching someone else stand. Jinsoul turned to look at her, a surprised expression on her face. The rest of the congregation turned to stare, expressions blank and emotionless, a bunch of robots waiting for instruction. “Don’t do it,” Jungeun says. Her voice is barely above a whisper but it seems to echo through the cathedral. “Jinsoul.”

She meets the love of her life’s steady gaze, watching the confusion gleaming in her dark pupils blossom into understanding within a matter of seconds. “Don’t do it.” She steps out of the pew and into the aisle, defiant on reaching out to her love in one last attempt to rekindle what they had. Everyone’s heads turn to snap in her direction. Jinsoul’s lips part, as if she were about to say something, but before Jungeun could hear anything, she found herself being shaken awake.

 

**

 

“Ready to get up?” Haseul asked, smiling down at Jungeun. She runs a hand through Jungeun’s bed head in an attempt to muss it back down as the blonde stares up at her with sleepy eyes. She gives her a quick kiss on the forehead before making her way towards the bedroom door. “Gowon and Heejin are trying to whip up some breakfast for everyone before we get going, I better go make sure they don’t burn down your apartment or something,” Haseul chuckles, looking over her shoulder before she leaves.

Jungeun lays there for another moment, dazed and staring at the ceiling, replaying her dream and how Jinsoul looked at her. Was it a sign? Or was it just her own self consciousness trying to mislead her into thinking she and Jinsoul still had a chance? As she threw the covers off of herself, the shrill sound of the fire alarm cut across the room, paired with a chorus of loud cries from the kitchen. Jungeun sighed and heaved herself up, snickering to herself before making her way towards the door. Leave it to her friends to make her forget what it was to be heartbroken.


	9. Day X: Coffee - Viseul

Haseul was convinced coffee could solve any problem one might have.

You’re falling asleep in class? A latte with two shots of espresso will get you right back on your feet again.

Is the sheer drop of the temperature’s numbing your hands while you walk around campus? Hit up the Starbucks in the library for a piping hot cup of your choice.

Done and done before you could even snap of a finger. Just sidle up in the line, tell the barista your order, and you get happiness all wrapped up in a paper to-go cup in less than five minutes and you could be on your way. Easy-peasy, right?

At least, that’s what Haseul thought. When she sees Kahei for the first time, the other girl is tucked into a book and sitting outside of the coffee house located in the Blockberry University library. Haseul didn’t know it yet, didn’t even know the girl’s name, but from that point forward, something in her changed.

Haseul remembers the moment clearly because she had nearly tripped into a pack of high schoolers on a tour of the campus grounds. She considers one of her biggest flaws is not watching where she was going for the millionth time, but she saved herself by swerving out of the way last second. As she recovered her balance (and a little bit of her dignity), she caught a glimpse of Kahei.

She was a flash of a cream colored knit sweater, a red beret, and a novel clutched in delicate fingers. There’s a hint of a smile playing on pastel pink lips and the motion of pale fingers turning a slightly yellowed page. A few seconds later, Haseul tore her gaze away and turned the corner, heading down the long marble staircase towards the first floor of the building.

She was late to class, and her mind was still recovering from almost knocking into a crowd of kids in the midst of class change, so she only remembered how pretty Kahei had been twenty minutes into her next lecture. Long, cascading tresses of chocolate brown and honey dipped eyes clouded Haseul’s mind. The tiniest of quirks to an artful arched eyebrow replays in her head. Haseul found herself smitten by a girl she’d merely glanced at.

Thankfully, her seatmate, Jinsoul, was too engrossed in their lecture to notice how zoned out the other girl was. As their professor droned on about philosophy, Haseul was elsewhere, walking back through the halls of the library and seeing that mysterious girl and her book again. Before she knew it, the lecture ended.

“Alright, exam next week. Remember to study!” Their professor said, cuing a flood of students to rise from their seats. Jinsoul leans over and nudges Haseul’s elbow off the armrest.

“You ready for this test? I can’t believe he decided to do it on a Monday,” Jinsoul says, clicking her tongue in disapproval. Haseul blinks out of her trance and begins to scoop up her things. “Doesn’t he know everyone’s going to be tailgating on Sunday? It’s our biggest game of the year,” Jinsoul continues, frowning as she stands and slings her backpack over one shoulder.

“No one, and I mean _no one_ , is going to be sober enough the next morning to remember the difference between which virtue ethic is _which_!” The blonde haired girl throws a hand into the air, waving it to further emphasize how unhappy she is of the circumstances. “If ‘no one’ means _you_ , then I’m sure you’re right,” Haseul chuckles, following Jinsoul out of their aisle and out of the room.

“I think you’re the only person I know who can ace exams while still drunk,” she chides, snickering when Jinsoul bows at her. “That _wasn’t_ necessarily a compliment, Jinsoulie. I’m just amazed at how you manage to still be so smart even when you’re fucked up.” The blonde shrugs nonchalantly and holds the door of the front entrance to the building for her.

“You know, all I heard were the words ‘amazed’ and ‘smart’, so I’d say that’s a pretty big compliment,” Jinsoul teases, giving Haseul a tiny two-fingered salute. The pair make their way back towards the main campus, joining the throngs of other students heading to class. “How about we meet up tomorrow and go over the notes?” Jinsoul suggests. “I’m staying over at Jungeun’s place tonight so I’ll be around.”

They come to a stop just in front of the library, waiting for the stream of cars to pass by on the strip of road that cut clear across the campus. “That sounds like a plan to me,” Haseul confirms, smiling at her friend. Jinsoul pumps her fist in the air and begins to walk backwards towards the bus stop. “Alright! How about eleven, then? We can get coffee!” She calls out. Haseul nods her head and laughs when Jinsoul nearly mows over an unsuspecting student, “Eleven it is. Don’t have too much fun tonight!”

With one last wave, Haseul turns on her heel and makes her way towards the library. Something was pulling her there again. She reassured herself that it was just for another cup of joe rather than the off chance she’d see a beautiful girl reading a book outside the coffee shop doors. A blush crept up onto her cheeks at the thought as she pushed open the heavy metal doors of the building and ascended the marble stairs.

Yes, she told herself, dragging herself up the flights of stairs. I’m only back for more coffee. It’s kind of an overcast day and I need a pick-me-up, she reasoned. _Not_ because I saw a super cute girl and I kind of want to ask her for her phone number. Sighing internally, Haseul rounded the corner of the stairs and set her sights on the coffee house.

Her heart dropped when she noticed the pair of empty leather armchairs situated just outside the threshold of the cafe, but quickly sped back up again when she spies a paperback nestled in one of the armchairs. Wasn’t that the same chair the girl had been sitting in before? Haseul thought to herself, slowing her steps as she neared the cafe doors. Curiosity got the best of her, and she reached out and plucked the book up and scanned the faded green cover.

“ _Aphrodite Means Death_?” Haseul read aloud, frowning slightly. What an odd title for a book, she thought to herself. Flipping to the first page, she scanned over the margins. Penned in delicate black beneath the title was what appeared to be a note addressed to a Wong Kahei from her grandfather. Rather than intruding further by reading the message, Haseul turned the page, intrigued by what she had stumbled upon.

It’d been a while since she’d gotten her hands on anything written solely in English, and she quickly found herself devouring the storyline. As she read on, she walked through the open doors of the coffee house and joined the line of other students waiting to order. By the time Haseul made it to the front of the line, she was so engrossed in the book that she hardly realized it was her turn.

“Hey!” A soft voice rang out from behind the counter, jerking Haseul from the mystical realm of Greece. “Where’d you find that?” Lowering the book, Haseul met the gaze of the girl she’d spotted before she’d gone to class. A metallic tag pinned to the cashier’s cream colored sweater glittered beneath a string of lights. The name _Kahei_ flashed up at her, jogging her memory. Putting two and two together, Haseul shut the book and offered it to the girl.

“Oh, I spotted it when I was walking up to get a coffee,” Haseul replied, hoping that she didn’t seem as flustered as she thought she did. Her cheeks were a bright enough shade of red to spark up a fire and she began to feel the telltale prickle of nervousness whenever she was around someone she liked. “I saw you reading it earlier and I got a little curious,” she admits sheepishly. “Sorry if you were wondering who took it.” Discreetly, she glanced over her shoulder to see if there was anyone waiting in line behind her.

She thanked the gods that there wasn’t, and flashed a grin at Kahei. “Actually, I was wondering where I’d put it. I got too into the story and was in too much of a rush to realize I misplaced it until a few minutes ago. Thank you so much for holding onto this for me,” the cashier gushed, hugging to book to her chest.

“It’s actually my grandfather’s. He gave it to me as a parting gift when I left for college. He’s really into collecting rare books and before I left, I was trying to read all of them. This was one of the ones I didn’t get to and he decided to send it along with me when I left Hong Kong for Korea. When I realized I lost it, I was kind of devastated.” She rubs the back of her neck, seemingly embarrassed at the amount of information she had willingly given away while rambling.

Haseul giggled at how cute she was and fumbled around for her wallet, trying to prolong their conversation. Kahei was much cuter up close, with her sparkling brown eyes and the way the apples of her cheeks became more pronounced when she smiled. “No problem!” Haseul said, leaning a hip against the counter. She flicks her gaze up to the menu board above Kahei’s head and then back down to the cashier again.

“I’m glad I ran into you again so soon, I figured you be looking for it eventually so I was planning on hanging onto it in case I saw you around campus again,” Haseul says as Kahei stoops a little to tuck the book away in a drawer. “It’s great that you have a slice of your home here with you. I used to live in the States for a little while so I get how hard homesickness can hit you,” she admits, flicking her gaze back up to the menu. Her usual order was a brown sugar latte, but knowing that Kahei worked here made her curious as to what she would like.

“Yeah…,” Kahei trails off, sighing. She shrugs her shoulders, “I’m lucky I get to go home for every break. I know that not everyone can say the same.” The two share a knowing smile and then Kahei perks up again. “Oh, I almost forgot! Sorry, I’m kind of new here. What can I get you?” She gives Haseul an expectant look, causing Haseul to nearly lose her entire train of thought.

“I, um, was actually wondering if I could buy the both of us a coffee? Maybe? When you get off work?” Haseul asks. She rocks back and forth on her heels, internally cringing at how timid and high pitched her voice comes out. It’s Kahei’s turn to look surprised, and Haseul feels the urge to sprint off towards the exit at top speed. But there’s something about the gentleness in Kahei’s eyes that keeps her rooted to the spot, waiting to see what the girl has to say.

“Oh...I don’t actually like coffee,” Kahei murmurs shyly, looking down at her shoes. Haseul sucks in a deep breath. This is the first time she’s ever met anyone who _doesn’t_ like coffee- her number one problem solver, and not only is she starstruck with how adorable Kahei is, she’s also stunned at how she _works_ at a coffee shop despite not liking coffee itself. She’s ready to sputter an apology for bothering her about it in the first place, when the other girl speaks up again.

“I’m more of a tea kind of girl, really,” Kahei laughs as Haseul’s expression turns to one of utter shock. She flashes another shy smile at her. “Tell you what, I get off my shift in half an hour. Why don’t I make you a drink and then I’ll join you after I’ve finished up? I’ve already done with classes so I’m free for the rest of the day.” Haseul nods her head up and down eagerly, her face breaking out into a relieved smile, “I’d love that! Yes! Could I get a brown sugar latte, hot, please?”

Kahei grins back at her, dipping her head and blushing while she punches a few buttons on the register. “Sure thing! And what’s your name? For the order?” She looks back up at Haseul shyly through the fan of her eyelashes, hand hovering over the monitor of the register. “Haseul,” she says, “I forgot to introduce myself, didn’t I?” They laugh and then Haseul passes Kahei her student ID to pay for the beverage. “No worries,” Kahei says when she passes back Haseul’s ID.

Their fingers brush together and Haseul feels sparks running over her skin. “I’ve got a pretty good feeling that in half an hour or so, we’re going to get to know each other much better than before.” And maybe, just maybe, Haseul began to understand the meaning behind the title. _Aphrodite Means Death._

 

 


End file.
